SAL Heavy Lift is chartering two semi-submersible deck carriers – Zhong Ren 121 and Zhong Ren 122 – on a long-term basis, in collaboration with its partner Shanghai Salvage (China).
The ships will be delivered in Shanghai between December 2023 and February 2024 and marketed under the Jumbo-SAL-Alliance. The vessels measure 169 m long and 39.8 m wide, with a deadweight capacity of 26,000 tonnes and a deck strength of 25 tonnes per sq m. Following delivery, SAL will have the opportunity to utilise the two vessels for cargo transports from Asia to Europe. Afterwards, they will be deployed for an offshore wind farm project in the USA.
Once the wind farm project has been completed, SAL intends to extend the charter contracts with Shanghai Salvage for an additional two to three years. Alberto Aguilaniedo, manager, chartering and projects at Jumbo-SAL-Alliance, said: “I envision a vast potential for these vessels which further solidifies our strategic focus on the renewable energy sector.”
Matthieu Moerman, director, chartering and project at Jumbo-SAL-Alliance, added: “‘Zhong Ren 121 and ‘Zhong Ren 122 will empower us to undertake cargo transportation and projects previously inconceivable with our existing fleet. They will expand our capabilities, opening doors to new markets. By adding the two vessels, we can offer more marine transport solutions as a group.”
Martin Harren, ceo of SAL Heavy Lift and the Harren Group, said the addition of the semi-submersible vessels is commercially and strategically important to the group. “Our combined multipurpose and heavy lift fleet, which currently comprises 54 units, is one of the world’s leading fleets… However, the truth remains that the demands and requirements of our clients – especially in the offshore wind sector – are becoming increasingly extensive and complex. These two new additions give us the opportunity to meet and possibly even exceed these requirements.”
SAL Heavy Lift has been targeting the semi-submersible deck carrier market in recent years, establishing a special department for that purpose in 2021. Since 2017, meanwhile, SAL has been acting as the commercial agent for two Pan Ocean deck carriers, gaining valuable experience in the project-based chartering of external tonnage.
