Jumbo exercises option

The Dutch heavy lift ship operator, Jumbo, exercised an option for the fourth 1,800 tonne lift capacity J-class vessel with Damen Shipyards in Romania. The first two J-class vessels, the 1,600 tonne lift ?Jumbo Javelin? and the ?Fairpartner? were delivered in 2004 and, in order to meet the growing demand of the oil & gas industry, last year September, the owners decided to further expand their fleet and ordered a third J-class vessel with an option for a fourth. To further their commitment, Jumbo has decided to take up its operating option for the fourth vessel.

While plant equipment for the oil and gas industry keeps increasing in weight and volume, Jumbo will match this increase by providing higher lift capacity with enhanced safety. For this the two existing J-class vessels have been upgraded to 1,800t lift capacity and these will be joined the two newbuildings by early and mid 2008 respectively.

With an overall length of 144 m, the 12,870 dwt J1800-class has a completely flush main deck. For optimum stowage configuration, each of the tweendeck pontoons is variable in height. Like the other vessels within Jumbo?s fleet, the J-class vessels feature small port operation capabilities. Including the two new vessels, Jumbo will operate a fleet of 14 heavy lift vessels with lift capacity in the range of 500- to 1800t.