A unique shipment from Cosco Shipping Heavy Transport will arrive in the Port of Rotterdam on Thursday, April 13, 2017.
The new semi-submersible vessel Xin Guang Hua will then sail into the Calandkanaal, with the FPSO Western Isles production platform on board. Weighing 32,000 tonnes, it will be unloaded in two days. It will then be taken to Keppel Verolme in the Botlek. The FPSO Western Isles will then be installed over an oil field in the North Sea.
Semi-submersible vessel Xin Guang Hua with the FPSO Western Isles production platform on board, on its way to port of Rotterdam - Image courtesy of Port of Rotterdam
Maiden voyage
The Xin Guang Hua sails under the flag of Hong Kong. According to the shipping company, she is the world’s second-largest semi-submersible vessel. She is 255 metres long, with a breadth of 68 metres and a maximum loaded draft of 10.5 metres, and was launched in 2016. This is the vessel's second voyage and the first time that she will dock in Rotterdam.
Cosco Shipping Heavy Transport
Cosco Shipping Heavy Transport is a company of the Cosco Shipping Specialized Carriers group in China. On behalf of the shipping group, the company is responsible for the marketing, commercial activities, engineering and project management of semi-submersible heavy cargo vessels. From offices in Rotterdam, Houston and Guangzhou, Cosco Shipping Heavy Transport provides custom heavy transport solutions offered all over the world. It has a modern fleet of seven company-owned vessels for that purpose. If necessary, the capacity can be expanded on a project basis.
Cosco Shipping Heavy Transport is a subsidiary of China Cosco Shipping, the world’s largest shipping group with a fleet of more than 1,100 vessels. It is a leading player in the shipment of containers, dry bulk cargoes and oil and the supply of tank capacity.
Related news: Video: China delivers Dana Petroleum’s Western Isles FPSO
Source: Port of Rotterdam