Tulipa Seaways is the second large ro-ro freight vessel from the Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft destined to enter the DFDS fleet. The ship will be delivered during the autumn and will enter service between Rotterdam and Immingham.
On 9 June, Mrs. Tutte Østergaard named Tulipa Seaways, the second of two vessels from the Flensburg shipyard due to enter DFDS’ shipping network in 2017.
Following the naming, the vessel was launched from the construction berth into the water to be completed alongside the quay. The superstructure, consisting of the bridge and accommodation facilities, are still to be added to the ship.
Tulipa Seaways and her sister ship are 210 metres long and offer capacity for 262 trailers with a load space of 4,076 metres.
The ship will, along with her sister ship Gardenia Seaways, enter service on the Rotterdam – Immingham freight route. The sister ship will be handed over and enter service at the end of June and Tulipa Seaways this autumn.
“In spite of Brexit, we still see freight volumes on our North Sea routes growing, and we are confident that the ships will offer the capacity, reliability and a significantly improved quality of service, which our customers will appreciate,” says Niels Smedegaard, CEO of DFDS.
DFDS will take on both vessels under a bareboat charter contract.
The design of the ship, developed in Flensburg, meets current environmental requirements, reducing fuel consumption and providing much better handling when loading and unloading in port.
“The two newbuildings represent the first step in an ambitious newbuilding programme that will add considerable capacity to our North Sea Network over the next few years,” says Niels Smedegaard.
Source: DFDS