Keel laid for Harland and Wolff?s first roro

The first of two 14,200 dwt roll on/roll off ferries currently under construction at Harland and Wolff began to take shape in the building dock early last month as the first section of the vessel, to be named Hartland Point, was lowered into position by an 840t capacity Goliath crane. Harland and Wolff is building two of the six-ship fleet being provided under the British military?s strategic sealift programme. The first section to be placed on the keel blocks was a centreline keel section of some 480t, measuring 22m x 26m x 8.6m. Each ship, when complete, will measure 193m x 26m. Welcoming this important milestone in the build cycle, Robert Hunter, Harland and Wolff?s project manager for the contracts, said: “Although a substantial amount of the steelwork for the vessel is progressing through our facilities, the physical appearance of any vessel in the building dock always marks a watershed in a shipbuilding contract. “The timely construction and delivery of Hartland Point and its sister ship, Anvil Point, is of paramount importance to Harland and Wolff and it is pleasing to note that achievement of this keel laying is in line with the original schedule. The coming weeks will see the further installation and assembly of hull sections as the vessel begins to take shape.” The significance to H&W of this roro contract can hardly be overstated. The Belfast shipyard is a famous shipbuilder, but its recent history has seen it fight a running battle for survival, and closure seemed certain at more than one point during the past year. A yard spokesman said the two roros – set for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2002 and first quarter of 2003 – will keep the workforce busy with heavy steelwork through the first quarter of next year. But after that, he said, new orders will be needed; Harland and Wolff is discussing a number possibilities for both merchant and offshore projects. n Harland and Wolff Technical Services, the design engineering consultancy of Harland and Wolff Group, has been contracted to provide detail modelling and production information within the cargo zone areas for a series of newbuild Alaska-class tankers to be built for BP by NASSCO in San Diego, California. Commencing immediately, the contracts will run until May 2002. Managing director Don Wright described the contract as “a clear demonstration of customer confidence in the ability of our employees and will stand us in good stead as we continue to build our business at a time when design skills are at a premium in the global shipbuilding market.” Harland and Wolff Technical Services is currently completing a contract from NASSCO for detailed design work for a pair of large trailer ships to be operated by Totem Ocean Trailer Express. The company is also nearing completion of a contract for structural design and the generation of the detailed steel design model for an offshore support vessel owned by Toisa Ltd, currently under conversion at the Van der Giessen de Noord shipyard.