Nordic Hamburg Group is expanding its role in green project cargo shipping with a new series of multi-purpose heavy-lift vessels to be built at Wuhu Shipyard in China. The parties have signed a contract for three firm 13,300 DWT vessels, plus options for two additional units, at the beginning of the new year.
Based in Hamburg, Germany, Nordic Hamburg Group manages a diversified fleet of 86 modern ships and operates across five key global shipping hubs. The company describes itself as an integrated maritime group with strong operational capabilities and an innovation-focused business model. Its stated core values are “openness, support, and rapid response”, and it places particular emphasis on green shipping technologies, including newbuilding projects and alternative-fuel vessel applications.
According to Wuhu Shipyard, the decision by Nordic Hamburg Group to place this order reflects the German group’s confidence in the yard’s long shipbuilding history, technical capability and project execution track record.
The 13,300 DWT vessels are conceived as highly flexible project carriers, combining multi-purpose cargo features with heavy-lift capability. A hatch-cover-less cargo arrangement delivers an approximate hold volume of 26,500 m³, while cranes with a combined lifting capacity of 500 t are designed to handle large project cargoes such as wind power equipment, as well as a broad mix of general cargo.
From an energy and emissions perspective, the series is positioned as a reference design within its segment. The concept makes use of several technologies, including an SCR system and an optimised hull form, with the intention of meeting demanding energy-efficiency and emission standards and achieving more than 20% lower fuel consumption compared with older vessels. The ships are also equipped for operation in ice conditions.
Onboard, intelligent control systems are combined with dedicated safety arrangements. The builder states that this package is intended to support a high level of operational intelligence and reliability over the vessels’ service lives, improving both overall competitiveness and deployment flexibility.
For Wuhu Shipyard, the agreement with Nordic Hamburg Group and its partners is presented as another important step in the international market for complex, multi-functional vessel construction. In recent years, the yard has introduced a line of benchmark designs, including a 5,800 DWT multi-purpose ship, a 7,000 DWT RoRo heavy-lift vessel, a 7,800 DWT multi-purpose ship, and a 14,600 DWT heavy-lift design.
Within this portfolio, the 7,000 DWT RoRo heavy-lift vessel Bore Way and the 5,800 DWT multi-purpose vessel Lady Marie Christine were included in the Royal Institution of Naval Architects’ “Significant Ships 2022” publication, recognising their innovative and environmental characteristics.
Looking ahead, Wuhu Shipyard says it will continue to pursue innovation-led and green development strategies, deepen international cooperation, and work with partners worldwide. The yard plans to focus on industrial upgrading and key technology challenges while aligning its growth with the development of a world-class shipbuilding and marine equipment industry cluster.
