German Yards Attract Inland Conversion
Two inland motor ships have been lengthened this Autumn at the J Braun Schiffswerft at Speyer on the Rhine as the demand for revamped waterway tonnage continues to attract shipping customers to smaller inland shipyards.
Dieter Brecht at the German shipyard told MJ the Tortuga had just been lengthened from 86m to 105m after 16 days at the yard.
Her beam of 9.5 and height of 3.2 were unchanged. Brecht said the inland vessel had increased her tonnage from 1,688 to 2,152 as a result of the lengthening. Prior to completing Tortuga, the yard, which specialises in such work, delivered the Vadasz after similar work lasting 18days. Vadasz was lengthened from 85m to 110 m. Her beam and height also remained the same at 9.5 m and 2.72 m, but her tonnage increased from 1,421 to 1,944. In other inland conversion news, the Diedrich Werft in Oldersum has won a ¢700,000 contract from local authorities to convert and virtually rebuild the old Ems River ferry which operates between Ditzum and Petkum.
Built by Meyer Werft in 1926, the ferry will be completely gutted and a new engine, superstructure and deck house will be installed. Local opponents of the project have criticised the expense of the project in the cash-strapped community. They have said authorities could have bought a de-commissioned ferry for ¢30,000 complete with two Voith Schneider propulsion units instead. Such a ship would also have been a double-ender carrying up to ten cars, rather than a ferry with one ramp carrying four. Finally, the Bergum facility of the Damen Group in neighbouring Holland has met a second request from a customer for longer ships and delivered the lengthened Jordy-M. At 104.8 she is 20 m longer than the yard’s standard River Liner 960. A sister Alcyon has already been retro-lengthened.
by TOM TODD
