Silverburn Shipping takes delivery of two Damen Stan Pontoons

Silverburn Shipping Group has taken delivery of two Stan Pontoon 8916 ICE vessels. Capable of taking on diverse heavy transport duties, these ice-classed vessels are robust enough to operate in all seasons. Built for stock, the pontoons left Rotterdam earlier this week on the client’s own transport after a three-week delivery time, the Group said in a press release.

The two 89-metre long Stan Pontoons were built at one of Damen’s partner yards in China – Nantong Yahua Shipbuilding. Damen built and transported the vessels to the Netherlands on a speculative basis.

“We could offer Silverburn a very quick turnaround because we had these pontoons on stock,” says Damen Sales Manager United Kingdom Casper Vermeulen. “After carrying out minor modifications to the internal ballast tanks to bring these vessels in line with the client’s specifications, we had them ready for delivery within a matter of weeks.”

Wide geographical reach
Damen’s Stan Pontoons 8916 ICE have 1,465m2 of available deck space, with a 15 tonnes per square metre carrying capacity. The vessels’ ice notation was a key part of the acquisition process: “These pontoons stay operational in the hardest winter conditions – for both inland and coastal assignments.”

The Stan Pontoon 8916 ICE has a beam of 16.5 metres: a pertinent point because this is the maximum beam permitted in the Volga-Don Canal. Connecting the Volga and Don Rivers, this 100km waterway is the shortest navigable link between the Caspian Sea and the Sea of Azov (and, therefore, the Black Sea and beyond). These vessels will give Silverburn Shipping Group, a maritime service provider with activities in the Baltic, Caspian, Black and Mediterranean Seas, unrestricted navigational access to the entire region.

Because the contract specified that the vessels were delivered under the Russian flag, Damen was also involved in the transfer of relevant registration documentation.

Six for six
These are not the only Damen vessels to be found in Silverburn Shipping Group’s fleet: the company purchased two identical Stan Pontoons back in 2012. “We appreciate the chance to continue our relationship with this growing company,” comments Mr Vermeulen. “Of course we look forward to future opportunities that are interesting for both parties.”

Damen’s strategy of building vessels on a speculative basis is well-known. By analysing the expected demands of maritime markets and building certain vessel designs on stock, the company can offer customers very attractive delivery times.

Focusing on the range of Stan Pontoons – it is a strategy that is proving its worth: Damen has delivered six Stan Pontoons from stock in the first six months of 2016. Furthermore, there are currently various other pontoons and barges available for immediate purchase, including two further 8916 ICE vessels.