BigLift Shipping has held a christening ceremony for its latest heavy lift vessel 'Happy Star' at Huisman China's Xiamen yard.
The sister ship to the 'Happy Sky', the 'Happy Star' is the latest addition to BigLift Shipping's fleet and will be the company's flagship heavy lift vessel.
Constructed by Ouhua Shipbuilding in China, the 18,374DWT vessel measures 156 metres in length, with a 29-metre-wide deck and two 900-tonne heavy lift mast cranes supplied by Huisman.
The vessel's length and the forward position of her superstructure offer a single, large cargo hold and a wide, open deck area. She has pontoon-type hatch covers and a large poop deck to make the vessel's entire deck area available for cargo stowage.
Featuring 1A Ice Class notation, the 'Happy Star's' tween deck is adjustable in height and is allowed to sail with open weather deck hatches at a draught of up to eight metres.
During sea trials, 'Happy Star' achieved a service speed of 16.6 knots at a draught of seven metres.
Following the christening, the vessel will travel from Nantong to Port Hedland, Australia. There, she will discharge two 1,600-tonne wharf deck modules, each weighing 1,478 tonnes.
