Last HERO begins journey to Europe

Norwegian shipping and logistic company Wallenius Wilhelmsen has revealed that the fourth HERO vessel started its journey towards Europe.

The vessel named Nabucco is expected to reach Belgian port Zeebrugge at the beginning of December.

China-based Tianjin Xingang Shipbuilding delivered the last of four HERO vessels contracted back in June 2013.

Named after an Italian opera, Nabucco has the capacity of 7700 vehicles and is designed with energy efficiency in mind like its sister vessels Tannhauser, Titus and Traviata.

“I am very happy with Nabucco setting sail, providing sorely needed capacity on the fleet side. This also marks a shift in our history, because it is the last vessel delivered based on conventional fuel technology”, said Erik Noeklebye, EVP and COO Shipping Services.

Noeklebye added that even though the company now looks to next-generation energy solutions, this was the most sustainable vessel at the time, and that HERO class and Nabucco still represent green advantages compared to other vessel designs.