After a six-month building phase, the first of two new vessels type 183 reaches its date of delivery. In July 2009, SAL commissioned the design and construction of a highly innovative vessel type to Sietas shipyard. In close cooperation between the two companies, the type 183 has been developed – a unique prototype with a combined crane capacity of 2,000mt SWL as well as a dynamic positioning system (DP). The high-capacity cranes have been manufactured by Neuenfelder Maschinenfabrik (NMF), part of the Sietas Group.

The crane tests were successfully performed on 20 November 2010 at the Norderwerft in Hamburg. In only 30min, the two cranes managed simultaneously to lift 1,000mt pontoons each. With 2,000t weight hanging from the crane, the vessel only had to carry the ballast of the tween deck pontoons, filled with water to provide stability. Only a few days earlier, the cranes were individually tested, successfully lifting weights of 1,100mt each.

Besides their unrivalled lifting capacity, the NMF cranes are characterised by a significant outreach, which allows each crane to lift up to 500mt even at a distance of 38m. Further features of the new vessel type are the high-speed capacity of 20kn, adjustable tween decks and a Kongsberg dynamic positioning system.

The naming ceremony will be held on 9 December at 3pm at the Überseebrücke in Hamburg.