KOCHI: The steel-cutting ceremony of two Eco Freighter 7000 DWT multi-purpose vessels being built by
Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL) for HS Service Group, Germany, was held on the shipyard premises on Wednesday.
Shipyard directors Bejoy Bhaskar and Sreejith K Narayanan inaugurated the ceremony, which saw the first plates of steel used for the ship’s construction cut. It signifies that the construction process is underway.
The CSL is building eight multi-purpose vessels for HS Service. These vessels, with an overall length of 110m and breadth of 16.5m, will be equipped for the carriage of project cargo, heavy cargo, steel coils, containers, dry cargoes, timber, paper and other bulk cargoes such as coal, grain and dangerous goods.
It will have a carrying capacity of 7,000 tonnes. These ice Class vessels are designed by Groot Ship Design Netherlands, with detailed engineering being carried out by CSL. The vessels will be built under the flag of Portugal, meeting all the latest rule requirements.
The association with HS Schiffahrts group also marked CSL’s entry into the European short-sea shipping market, where similar vessels form the backbone of the logistics network from North Sea ports to south Mediterranean ports.