SAL Heavy Lift has held the naming ceremony for Patricia, the third vessel in its five-ship Orca Class programme, at Liebherr’s maritime crane production facility in Rostock, Germany.
The ceremony took place on 31 August. SAL Heavy Lift had taken delivery of Patricia in June 2026, following sister vessels Elise and Frida, and the ship had already entered commercial service before its formal naming.
Patricia Rüf, a member of the administrative board of Liebherr International AG, acted as godmother. Liebherr supplied the vessel’s heavy lift cranes and also has a customer relationship with SAL Heavy Lift.
At about 150 m in length, Patricia has a deadweight capacity of around 14,600 tonnes. The ship offers approximately 23,600 cubic metres of cargo hold capacity and around 3,330 square metres of deck space.
Its lifting system consists of two fully electric Liebherr LS 800 E cranes. Each unit is rated at 800 tonnes, while tandem operations allow lifts of up to 1,600 tonnes. The onboard cranes enable the vessel to load and discharge heavy project cargo without relying on shore-based lifting equipment.
The propulsion arrangement combines hybrid technology with provisions for methanol operation at a later stage. Germany’s Federal Ministry of Transport said about €3.2 million was provided toward Patricia’s propulsion system.
Unlike Elise and Frida, which entered longer-term charter arrangements after delivery, Patricia was initially operated commercially by SAL Heavy Lift itself.
The vessel’s first assignment involved wind energy equipment for Vestas. Cargo was loaded at Phu My in Vietnam and Lvsi near Nantong in China for transport to Eemshaven in the Netherlands and Raahe in Finland.
The Orca Class is intended for large and heavy project cargo, including equipment used in offshore wind and other energy developments. Its combination of deck area, lifting height and onboard crane capacity supports cargo handling at ports where suitable shore cranes may not be available.
SAL Heavy Lift’s Orca programme consists of five vessels. Patricia follows Elise and Frida, while Carlotta and Vera are the remaining two ships in the planned series.
