Mission accomplished – world premiere voyage successful: Two multipurpose heavy lift project carriers, the MV “Beluga Fraternity” and the MV “Beluga Foresight”, have reached their destination in Siberia safely. On Monday morning CET, 7th of September 2009, within a few hours of each other the vessels which are loaded with heavy plant modules each dropped their anchors at Novyy Port / Yamburg in the delta of the river Ob. Hence, Bremen-based project and heavy lift carrier Beluga Shipping GmbH has successfully sent two merchant vessels through the formerly impenetrable Northeast-Passage from Asia to Europe for the first time. The MV “Beluga Fraternity” had cast off on the 23rd of July and sister vessel MV “Beluga Foresight” five days later from Ulsan, South Korea. They entered the so called Northern Sea Route via the inspection point at Vladivostok in order to deliver their project cargo as far into the destination area as no other merchant vessel had previously been able to. Now, the in total 44 cargo modules with single weights of 200 tons and above have been discharged offshore onto barges by the on-board crane gear and will then be transported further to Surgut.

“We are all very proud and delighted to be the first western shipping company which has successfully transited the legendary Northeast-Passage and delivered the sensitive cargo safely through this extraordinarily demanding sea area”, Niels Stolberg said, President and CEO of Beluga Shipping GmbH, after the masters Captain Aleksander Antonov and Captain Valeriy Durov had notified that they had dropped anchor at their port of destination. “To transit the Northeast-Passage so well and professionally without incidents on the premiere trip is the result of our extremely thorough and accurate preparation as well as the outstanding team work between our attentive captains, our reliable meteorologists and our engaged crew”, said Stolberg.

During the passed days which led through the East Siberian Sea, the Sannikov Strait and the Vilkizki Strait as northernmost part the Beluga vessels were part of a little convoy behind the Russian Atomflot-ice breakers “50 let Pobedy” and “Rossia”. Small ice bergs, ice fields and ice blocks were traversed without incident. After the successful premiere, Beluga Shipping announced further project journeys through the Northeast-Passage for 2010 – then probably with the new Super Heavy Lift vessels of the Beluga P-class already, which will be launched as from autumn this year onwards.

More Information about the Beluga- F-Series