Siemens Vessels Undergoing Another Conversion, Already Too Small for Next Generation Wind Turbine Parts

Not even five years after their conversion from containerships to roll on/roll off (Ro-Ro) vessels customized to transport wind turbine components, Siemens’s Rotra Mare and Rotra Vente will undergo modifications in response to the increasing size of wind turbine components.

The 141.6-metre Rotra Vente and Rotra Mare underwent their conversions at Holland Shipyards and were delivered to Siemens Wind Power in November 2016 and March 2017, respectively.

Commissioned by Amasus Shipping, the manager of the vessels, Holland Shipyards Group is currently working on the conversion of Rotra Mare in collaboration with Niestern Sander.

The RoRo will be extended to a length of 152.7 metres, Holland Shipyards Group said.

To construct this extension, a new section is being built. The current vessel will be cut in half for this purpose, the bow will float out of the dry dock and the new section will be placed in between. This section will first be adapted to the aft ship in the dry dock, after which the dock will be lowered for the attachment of the foreship.

While the Rotra Mare is under construction, Holland Shipyards Group is also working on the conversion of her sister vessel, Rotra Vente. This conversion includes the installation of new sponsons on both sides of the vessel to increase the deck width to 23.6 metres. The lifted bow will also be raised to load the next generation of wind turbines.

The Rotra Mare is expected to enter service in January 2022, followed by the Rotra Vente in March 2022.