SAL commissions Sietas to build 2 heavy lift vessels

Schiffahrtskontor Altes Land, one of the leading international heavy lift shipping companies, has commissioned the Sietas shipyard to construct two heavy lift vessels of a new generation. The two vessels will be built in the Hamburg Neuenfelde shipyard and will be fitted with Neuenfelder Maschinenfabrik cranes. The NMF also belongs to the Sietas group.
The new ships will be the largest and most modern heavy lift ships in the world, boasting a lifting capacity of 2,000 tonnes and a speed of up to 20 knots. The delivery of both new ships, which will be financed by HSH Nordbank, is planned for December 2010 and March 2011.
The order, which has a total worth of EUR 120 million comes at a decisive time for the Sietas group. Together with sureties pledged by the Free and Hanseatic city of Hamburg and the German Federal government, as well as the personnel measures agreed to by the IG Metall Küste union and the Sietas Works Council, the order plays a major role in determining the future corporate orientation of the company and its focus on industrial special-purpose shipbuilding.
According to Mr Lars Rolner MD of SAL, "The global economic crisis has also had an effect on the heavy lift sector. However, we are already seeing signs that the market will recover in 2011. We have already received enquiries for expansive orders from the wind-energy sector, as well as from the oil and gas industries. To make sure that we are properly equipped, we are investing in two innovative heavy lift vessels, with which we can consolidate our leading position in the world market."
Mr Rolner added that "We have great trust in the management and the expertise of the developers, engineers and the rest of the Sietas crew, as well as the team from the Neuenfelder Maschinenfabrik. Together, we have developed a type of ship that is based on market demands, one that has been planned and developed with a good deal of innovation. The result is a new generation of heavy-lift ships. The Sietas yard and the Neuenfelder Maschinenfabrik are synonymous with innovative design and quality components. Moreover, the fact that we can order the ship and the cranes from the same company was a decisive factor for our commission. That is one of the primary reasons why we chose the Sietas yard.”