Ultra-long distance towing and anchor handling vessel built for Dutch shipping company ALP Maritime Services has left the Niigata shipyard in Japan, heading to South Korea.

ALP Maritime said the ALP Striker set off to South Korea to perform sea trials and undergo required technical adjustments.

Sea trials in sight for ALP Striker

Image courtesy: ALP Maritime

According to ALP Maritime Services, the vessel will be sailing at a speed of around 9 knots and is planned to arrive at Pohang in about four days where it will perform its bollard pull test.

ALP Striker was launched from Niigata shipyard in October 2015 while its sister vessels, ALP Defender and ALP Sweeper, were launched in January and May this year. The last in the series of four AHTS vessels will be the ALP Keeper.

The vessels are based on the ULSTEIN SX157 design and are part of the ALP Future Class. They are primarily designed for long-distance towing of large structures, such as oil rigs or FPSOs.

ALP Striker and its sister vessels measure 88.9 m length and 21 m in the beam and have a deadweight of approximately 4,250 t.

Source: Offshore Energy Today