Construction starts on 2nd Wallenius SOL LNG RoRo

China’s CIMC Raffles, part of the CIMC group, has started building the second LNG-powered RoRo ship for Sweden’s Wallenius SOL.

CIMC Raffles started working on the newbuild on June 8 at its yard in Yantai.

The ice class vessel is the second out of a batch of two vessels ordered last year and claimed to be the world’s largest LNG-powered RoRo ships.

The order includes an option for two additional LNG-powered vessels.

The ships will be 242 metres long with a beam of 35.2 metres and a capacity of 5,800 lane metres.

The Knud E. Hansen-designed vessels will feature two Type C LNG tanks with capacity of 685 cubic meters, each.

CIMC Raffles held a steel cutting ceremony for the first vessel on March 30.

The Chinese shipyard said on Monday it completed keel laying for the first ship proceeding with the construction of the vessel in “full speed” despite the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.

Once delivered in 2021, the vessels will enter into service in the Baltic Sea.

They will ensure year-round service, even in the icy winter season in the Gulf of Bothnia, according to Wallenius SOL.

The shipping company is a venture formed by Swedish concerns Wallenius Lines and Svenska Orient Linien.