VESSEL REVIEW | BBC Leer – Germany’s Briese Group acquires multi-purpose cargo ship for worldwide trade

German shipping company the Briese Group has taken delivery of a new multi-purpose cargo vessel built by Taizhou Sanfu Heavy Industry of China. Designed by Groot Ship Design of the Netherlands, the 149.95- by 23.2-metre (491.96- by 76.1-foot), 13,000DWT BBC Leer will be operated under a long-term time charter with Briese subsidiary BBC Chartering for worldwide trading.

“The series to which BBC Leer belongs has been jointly developed with Briese Schiffahrts,” BBC Chartering told Baird Maritime. “The idea was to develop a new type of multipurpose heavy-lift vessel with an optimised size so that it can call ports in the Great Lakes and the St Lawrence Seaway system, while trading worldwide within the BBC Chartering network.”

The company added that the vessel will not serve any specific routes or trade areas. It will also be carrying various types of breakbulk, heavy lift, and project cargo including steel coils/products, grains, dangerous goods, containers (totalling 970 TEUs including 50 reefer containers), and wood products.

Flexibility in cargo handling and transport

The newbuild is fitted with two cranes that offer a combined lifting capacity of 500 tonnes. The bridge and the crew accommodation spaces are located at the front of the ship, while the two cranes are located portside. This allows for an unobstructed 2,830 square metres (30,500 square feet) of space on the weather deck.

The two cargo holds are box-shaped and offer room for almost 26,000 cubic metres (918,000 cubic feet) of cargo on a floor space of 4,850 square metres (52,200 square feet), when two tween decks are in operation. The space can accommodate cargo up to 104.3 metres (342.2 feet) long and 18.2 metres (59.7 feet) wide.

“The vessel has a single, very large hold plus one additional small hold forward, and is certified to sail with open hatches,” said BBC Chartering. “Thus, the freeboard has been increased compared to an earlier BBC ship class, while the hull shape itself is a development derived from that same earlier class.”

The ship has been designed as a triple-decker. However, the deck pontoons can be locked over a range of heights, allowing a greater assortment of cargo that can be carried. Hatch covers and tweendecks allow for loads up to four tonnes per square metre, while the tanktop can handle up to 20 tonnes per square metre, in parts up to 25 tonnes per square metre.

“The new series also has a hold capacity increase of 48 per cent over the earlier series,” BBC Chartering remarked. “Total deck space is also 61 per cent greater on the newer ships.”

The higher capacity of cargo spaces below deck compared to existing tonnage allows for up to 30 per cent reductions in GHG emissions per freight ton carried.

Propulsion ideal for a broad range of port environments worldwide

The propulsion system includes two MAN B&W 6G45ME-C9.5 6,000kW (8,000hp) engines connected to a single fixed-pitch propeller. This configuration delivers a service speed of 15 knots. An 850kW bow thruster meanwhile provides added lateral manoeuvrability in ports.

The propulsion arrangement was chosen for ensuring high reliability and keeping maintenance and costs within a reasonable threshold, which are important considerations when calling at remote ports.

“Over time, the fifteen vessels of the class will be replacing older tonnage, whilst initially causing a slight fleet growth,” BBC Chartering told Baird Maritime. “Our company, through Briese Schiffahrt, will also receive four more earlier series vessels by 2025.

“With a total fleet in operation of roughly 140 vessels, about 60 to 65 per cent of the vessels are being owned/managed by Briese companies. Eventually, as older tonnage is gradually phased out, all these vessels will help us maintain our position as one of the largest project carriers in the market.”