The Flensburg Fjord greets Down Under: FSG to build RoRo vessel with LNG propulsion for Australian company, SeaRoad

Presently, a distance of more than 16,000 kilometres, or almost half-way around the globe, seems insurmountable when it comes to signing a contract, unless the contracting parties agree to do so in synch via video link. That is precisely how the Tasmanian-based Australian shipping company, SeaRoad, and German shipbuilding yard, Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft (FSG), have finalised the purchase contract for a RoRo vessel with LNG propulsion. A face-to-face meeting in Australia or Germany was not possible due to the current pandemic, but the spirit of cooperation between the two organisations provided the foundation to deliver an outcome that was almost a year in the making.

Work on the contracted RoRo vessel with a length of 210 metres and a width of 29.30 metres will start in Flensburg in winter 2021/2022 (Europe). Delivery to SeaRoad has been agreed for the last quarter of 2023. The vessel will have 3,792 lane metres available for the carriage of freight units, plus capacity for over 100 trade vehicles. A special requirement for the vessel is the capability to transport heavy cargo with a unit weight of up to 100 tonnes. The order now placed is worth more than 100 million euros. The funding partner for the project is the Commonwealth Bank of Australia.

SeaRoad is already a familiar FSG customer. The first RoRo vessel “made in Flensburg”, the MS Searoad Mersey II joined the SeaRoad fleet in 2016. The second FSG-built vessel, MS Liekut, joined SeaRoad recently under a three-year charter agreement in April 2021.

“We’ve been very pleased with how the two FSG-built vessels in the SeaRoad fleet have performed from both an efficiency and operational perspective. We look forward to continuing our successful relationship with the German shipyard and their experienced staff. Sustainable design, leading technology and the excellent quality of their vessels are all important elements,” says Chas Kelly, Executive Chairman of SeaRoad.

Philipp Maracke, CEO of Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft, adds, “We are proud to have brought this order to Flensburg as it is proof of the shipyard’s successful new start. This additional order by a long-standing customer equals an important vote of confidence in both this new model, as well as our established expertise as an innovative German newbuilding yard. Our aim is to combine superior quality and superior life-cycle value. With this new vessel, FSG and SeaRoad will make an important contribution to sustainable shipping.”

The new RoRo vessel will operate on Bass Strait between Devonport, on the island of Tasmania, and Melbourne, Victoria on mainland Australia.  

With its proven high-quality standards, the high efficiency of the LNG-powered vessel and the associated low operating costs, FSG has once again impressed SeaRoad.

Flensburg / Devonport, 20 September 2021

FSG CEO Philipp Maracke signs the contract in Flensburg. At his side: CFO Patrick Wohlgemuth (right) and Wolfgang Schueler, Head of Product Development (left). Joined by video is Chas Kelly, CEO of SeaRoad. (Photo: FSG)

Technical data of the RoRo vessel newbuilding 784 for SeaRoad (3D-Model: FSG):
Length: 210 metres
Width: 29.30 metres
Gross registered tonnage 43,100
Power main engines: 2 x 10,300 kilowatts
Deadweight: 12,183 tonnes
Speed: 22.50 knots
Cabins: 25 (27 berths)
Cargo capacities: 3,792 lane metres plus capacity for over 100 trade vehicles