Final preparations are underway at the Ferus Smit Leer yard, Germany where the second ship in a series of three built for Wagenborg will be launched on December 18th 2013.

This general cargo vessel, named MV Reggeborg (Nb. 404), is one of the biggest ever constructed by Ferus Smit. With a length of 170m, breadth of 20.4 m and 23000 deadweight tons carrying capacity, she is nearing the maximum dimensional limits that can be built at the Leer production-site. She comes with an increased deckhouse, recently placed by Wagenborg’s floating crane ‘Triton’, which makes her more suitable for deck cargoes.

Reggeborg has a special bow form with negative stem profile and sharp waterlines without bulb results in less resistance at moderate speeds featuring more displacement and cargo hold volume. Sharp entrance angles and less bow flare reduce speed loss in seaway. Model tests showed excellent performance while breaking through ice channels. The EEDI index for this ship is about 50% better than the required index from 2012, and still 25% less than the future requirements for 2025.

Ships of these dimensions are normally floated out of a building dock or launched from longitudinal slipways. The spectacular sideways launching of a ship this size is an event that has rarely been seen.

The first ship of the series, the MV Reestborg, was delivered in March 2013.

SBT Staff, November 15, 2013