Amsterdam-based shipping company Spliethoff has ordered six multipurpose vessels from Chinese shipbuilder Zhejiang Ouhua Shipbuilding.
Each of the six newbuildings will have a length of 165 meters and a tonnage of 18,000 dwt.
The vessels, which belong to the company’s new R-Class, are designed in accordance with the Polar Code and are suitable to sail in remote areas such as the Arctic.
Equipped with heavy lift cranes which are combinable, the ships will be able to operate in the specialized breakbulk market with heavy and outsized cargoes, Spliethoff said.
The first vessel, to be named Raamgracht, is scheduled for delivery in January 2019, according to the company.
Raamgracht will be followed, in regular intervals of two months, by its five sister vessels – Realengracht, Reguliersgracht, Rijpgracht, Ringgracht and Rozengracht.
Established in 1921, Spliethoff Group manages a fleet of over 100 multipurpose, heavy lift, roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) and semi-submersible vessels.