Wilhelmsen launches largest ro/ro

Wilhelmsen launches largest ro/ro    Norwegian shipping firm Wilh. Wilhelmsen said it has launched the largest roll-on/roll-off vessel.
   The T'nsberg has more flexibility to carry high and heavy cargo, and was also built to be environmentally friendly, using 15 percent to 20 percent less fuel than older ro/ro ships. Wilhelmsen and its Swedish partner, Wallenius Lines, said three more of the ships will be built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Nagasaki, Japan, through 2012.
   The T'nsberg is 265 meters long and has cargo volume of 138,000 cubic meters. It has a capacity of 8,500 car equivalent units (CEU) compared to 8,000 CEU for the next-largest ships in Wilhelmsen’s fleet.

The new Mark V class is the largest and most sophisticated roll-on roll-off carrier ever built. The first vessel, MV T'nsberg, is now launched into operation.(Photo: Wilh. Wilhelmsen)

   There are six fixed and three hoistable decks, and the company said the entire cargo hold of the new ship is arranged for high and heavy cargo such as excavators, bulldozers, wheel loaders and harvesters. Cargo can even be positioned on the weather deck, which has a ramp from the deck below.
   The stern ramp is 12 meters wide and has a safe working load of 505 tons, enabling the company to ship larger cargo than before. the company said the clear height of the main deck, 7.1 meters, is also unprecedented for this kind of vessel.
   The company said the T'nsberg will trade in Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics' round-the-world trade.
   Other environmental features include an advanced turbo generator that produces electricity from exhaust heat, a Unitor water ballast water treatment system, and protected fuel tanks to minimize leakage in case of grounding or collision.
   T'nsberg is the fourth vessel with this name in the Wilh. Wilhelmsen fleet. It is named after the coastal town in Norway where Wilh. Wilhelmsen was founded in 1861.