MC class on a roll

摘要

April saw the delivery of BigRoll Barentsz, the first of operator BigRoll Shippings new Module Carrier (MC) class of heavy-duty transportation ships. Constructed at Cosco Dalian Shipyard, China, the vessel was immediately put to work in the Russian Arctic, where she is being chartered by the Yamgaz consortium - comprising Technip, JGC Corporation and Chiyoda - to provide transportation of large offshore modules and equipment for the Yamal LNG project. This location has been hailed as a gas goldmine; Yamal LNG partner Total estimates that the region boasts an annual LNG production capacity of 16.5 million metric tonnes. However, it is also an extremely harsh and challenging environment. The region is ice-bound for seven to nine months a year; for three months each year, the sun does not even rise above the horizon, forcing work teams to work by spotlight in temperatures as low as-40℃.