VESSEL REVIEW | Pilecki – Heavy-lift ship pair for Polish-Chinese joint venture

Chengxi Shipyard in China has delivered two units in a series of four multi-purpose heavy-lift vessels ordered by local shipowner Bank of Communications Financial Leasing for charter by joint Polish-Chinese company Chipolbrok.

The Liberian-flagged newbuilds Pilecki and Herbert were built by Chengxi Shipyard to a design by the Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute (SDARI) in compliance to DNV and Polish Register of Shipping (PRS) rules. Each vessel has an LOA of 199.99 metres, a beam of 32.26 metres, a design draught of 11.3 metres, and a deadweight of 62,000.

The vessels will be used for the transport of project cargo such as components of large offshore wind turbines via their single continuous upper decks. Also fitted on each vessel are five holds with a total capacity of 75,000 cubic metres for transporting bulk cargo, steel coil, paper pulp, and IMSBC code cargo. Of these holds, the longest is 40 metres for housing project cargo. Chipolbrok claims that Pilecki and Herbert are the world's largest multi-purpose heavy lift vessels along with their two other sisters, the Hong Kong-flagged Taixing and Yongxing.

Four of the holds are box-shaped and all have strengthened tank tops for heavy cargo. The ship has pontoon-type tween decks that can be employed in all five holds. The total bale capacity is 73,000 cubic metres. The flush hatch covers allow for a length of 160 metres and some 5,000 square metres of space for deck cargo.

Cargo handling is facilitated by four MacGregor deck cranes with a 38-metre outreach, and the two 150-tonne capacity cranes located either end of hatch number three can work in tandem to lift up to 300 tonnes. The other two cranes have safe working loads of 45 and 60 tonnes, respectively.

The propulsion arrangement on each ship includes a six-cylinder MAN B&W G50ME-C9.6 engine producing 8,000 kw. This drives a 6.9-metre fixed-pitch propeller to give a service speed of 14.5 knots. To achieve Tier III NOx compliance, the engine makes use of high-pressure selective catalytic reduction. A Blue Ocean Shield ballast treatment system allows for worldwide operation, having type approval from IMO and the US Coast Guard.

Accommodations are also available for up to 26 crewmembers on each ship.

Pilecki and Herbert are being operated out of Asia. They have since been primarily serving Chipolbrok's Asia-to-America trade routes.