Mumbai, India: With a lifting capacity of a total of 2,000 tonnes and speed of 20 knots, the world’s largest heavy lift vessel, MV (Motor Vessel) “Svenja” visited Mumbai on 15^th January on its maiden voyage. The innovative vessel type was built in just six months by German-based Sietas shipyard commissioned by SAL Schiffahrtskontor Altes Land. SAL – a joint venture between two owner families and the Japanese “K” Line Group, ranks among the leading international heavy lift shipping companies which operates a fleet of 15 heavy lift ships and is been represented by Sai Maritime in India.

Says Svenja Heinrich, Co-Owner, SAL (after whom the vessel is named), “MV ‘Svenja’ of type 183 stands for the latest generation of heavy lift vessels and in March 2011 will be joined by a sister vessel of the same type. An estimated 75 per cent of the parts employed in its construction originate from Germany. Apart from its powerful cranes and its Dynamic Positioning System, the new building is equipped with an Environmental Passport ensuring the highest standards of health, safety and environmental protection (HSE) on board. The comprehensive HSE policy also includes extensive measures to address the threat of piracy. The vessel built at the cost of € 60 million is jointly financed by SAL, HSH Nordbank and the City of Hamburg. The offshore energy sector – including oil, gas and wind – will be one of the core segments of employment for this highly specialized vessel.”

Says Rukhsana Vohra, Managing Director, Sai Maritime & Management P.Ltd, “SAL was one of the first heavy lift carriers in the Indian market, operational now for 25 years. We are proud to be associated with SAL, a first class German Shipping company who offers unmatched service, timely schedules and state of the art engineering on board their vessels. This is also well appreciated by clients when shipping sensitive and highly technical project cargoes which need special handling.

Adds Svenja Heinrich, Co-owner, SAL, “With the rapid growth of the Indian economy, the need for infrastructural development has also risen. An increasing number of Indian manufacturers have developed their scale of production to ever growing unit weights. Companies such as, Larsen & Toubro, Godrej & Boyce, Thermax Limited and ISGEC to name a few are constructing massive equipment mainly for energy generation not only for the domestic but also for the international market.”