Fifteen heavy lifters from German specialist

Developed by German owner Briese Schiffahrt and Dutch consultancy Groot Ship Design in accordance with the requirements of long-term charterer BBC, the 150m vessel type offers a high degree of cargo flexibility alongside enhanced efficiency in heavy load and project cargo transportation. While designed for worldwide trading, the type is dubbed the LakerMax class by virtue of dimensions allowing navigation throughout the St Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes system, giving direct access to key North American markets.

The wherewithal for the ship’s mainstream role lies along the portside bulwark, in the shape of two 250t Liebherr deck cranes affording a 500t tandem lift capacity and conferring the requisite self-sufficiency in working cargo. The offset positioning of the gear also maximises space availability for weatherdeck-borne freight, as does the forward location of bridge and superstructure, an arrangement which in itself distinguishes the LakerMax from the many other units of the BBC fleet.

While incorporating two holds, the forward(No.1) hold is diminutive, the preponderance of underdeck revenue-earning volume being within No.2 space, which also affords scope for vertical subdivision by way of two removable tweendecks. In total, the box-shaped holds provide a cargo containment volume of almost 26,000m³ on a floor area of 4,850m² when the tweendecks are in position.

Briese states that the particular configuration imbues a higher underdeck cargo capacity relative to heavy-lift tonnage of comparable size, resulting in a potential 30% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions per freight ton.

The main hold can accommodate items of freight at up to 104m in length, and of maximum 18.2m in width, so giving an extra edge to competitiveness in the project cargo market. The hold geometry in combination with the unobstructed, stackweight-rated weatherdeck give extra versatility in allowing for an overall container intake equating to 970TEU.

The core, heavy freight capability is expressed in the high-stooled Liebherr cranes, each offering a lift force gradation from 250t at 18m outreach to 45t at 40m, complemented by provision for tanktop loadings of 20-25t/m². The main deck hatch covers and tweendecks can accept 4t/m². Authorisation to sail with open hatches is beneficial to business opportunities in the shipment of outsize or indivisible cargoes, such as steel structures, offshore and renewable energy equipment, and plant.

A single MAN two-stroke engine ensures transits at up to 15 knots, and the modest power rating of 6,000kW is indicative both of the efficacy of the propulsion installation and the underwater hull form. The IMO Tier II-certificated G45ME-C9.5 design chosen, albeit not the latest C9.7 model, has thereby been specified at a significantly lower rating than its nominal vemaximum continuous output of 8,340kW. The same type of ultra long-stroke engine, but in five-cylinder format, has been used in the preceding classes of ship commissioned into the BBC operation.

Briese has kept faith with the Chinese shipbuilding industry for its latest and considerable commitment to fleet renewal, the company’s previous stage of BBC-destined investment having entailed the F500-type heavy-lift/multipurpose class, completed by Taizhou Sanfu in 2020-2022. Before that, the 12,500dwt EcoTrader series of 2016/2017 also came from Chinese yards, as did the Edelstein class of 2011-2013, distinguished by an 800t lift capability.

For her first voyage, BBC Leer commenced loading at Nantong in June, taking on a cargo bound for the St Lawrence via the Panama Canal. Deliveries of the LakerMax newbuilds extend into 2026, with recent phases in the production programme having included the launch of third-of-class BBC Santiago, and keel-laying for the eighth vessel.

MAIN PARTICULARS