BBC Kibo arrived off Cape Town at 14:00 on 17 February from Algeciras, Spain, entered the Duncan Dock and berthed at the Eastern Mole outer berth for a short logistics stop. After bunkering from Southern Valour and taking stores and fresh provisions, she sailed at 10:00 on 18 February with AIS showing Singapore as the next destination.
The vessel carried a full deck load of wind farm turbine blades, with blade-end caps displaying the Vestas logo. Before Algeciras, BBC Kibo called at Taranto, Italy, where Vestas operates a blade manufacturing facility producing 2 MW and 3 MW onshore blades and, in the last year, opened a new line for offshore blades including the 116 m V236 blades used on 15 MW turbines.
In March 2025, Vestas announced a 495 MW order for the Fengmiao 1 offshore wind farm off Taichung, Taiwan, including 33 V236-15.0 MW turbines. The project is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2027. In July 2024, Vestas confirmed it would not upgrade its Taiwanese blade plant for the 15 MW turbine.
Built in 2011 at Xingang Shipbuilding and Heavy Industries in Tianjin, China, BBC Kibo is 126 m long with gross registered tonnage (GRT) 8,255. She is fitted with two 350 t NMF cranes (700 t in tandem), has two holds with 13,119 m³ capacity, and can carry 660 TEU with 60 reefer plugs. She is owned by Briese Schiffahrts GmbH and operated by BBC Chartering GmbH, with management by Briese Heavylift GmbH.
On 21 December 2017, BBC Kibo collided with a harbour tug at Porto Alegre, Brazil, after the tug suffered an engine failure; no serious injuries were reported.
