CIMC Raffles cuts first steel for largest Ice Class ro-ro
Following the first steel cutting on 30 March, construction of the first of two 5,800-lanemetre short-sea ro-ro vessels for the Wallenius SOL joint venture officially started at the Yantai CIMC Raffles shipyard.
Designed by Knud E. Hansen in close cooperation with Wallenius Marine, the 241.7m long and 35.2m beam four-deck ro-ro vessels will boast a maximum deadweight of 30,000t, hereby becoming the largest 1A Super Ice Class ro-ros. The LNG-powered vessels will be equipped with two 685m³ Type C LNG tanks. Two WinGD 7RT-Flex50DF main engines with an output of 10,080kW each will give the ships a 20-knot top speed.
The first vessel is expected to be delivered in August 2021, with the second one to follow later in the year. Wallenius SOL holds an option for two more vessels of the same class.