Beluga takes first of new ships

Beluga takes first of new ships    Beluga Shipping said it has taken delivery of the Beluga Houston, the first of 16 new 20,000-deadweight-ton “P” series ships. The ships will have cranes with 800- to 1,400-ton capacities.
   The Bremen, Germany-based company gave an upbeat assessment of what it called the “super-heavy lift sector” of the project cargo market, saying it has “enormous potential, particularly in the domain involving crane capacities of 800 tons and more.”
   “Most notably, the oil and gas markets as well as the offshore sector can rely on financially strong investors. Even in the future this transportation sector can expect to benefit from the greatest challenges in the project and heavy lift area,” Beluga said.
   The newly constructed vessels of the P-Class are also equipped for voyages through polar latitudes and can traverse the Northeast Passage along the Siberian Coast, which it said reduces sea transit from Europe towards Asia by about one-third, the company said.