Dajin Heavy Industries Delivers 6,600-Ton Roll-on/Roll-off Vessel to French Shipowner for Rocket Transport
Recently, Jiangsu Dajin Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. successfully delivered the 6,600-ton rocket transport container Ro-Ro ship "FERRYMAR" to MARFRET, a French company. The ship is the first rocket transport Ro-Ro ship in China, and it is used to transport the latest "Ariane 6" carrier rockets to the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana.
It is understood that the "FERRYMAR" was launched on May 5th this year and will replace the old vessel "MARIN" currently operated by MARFRET (built in 1991) after delivery. The ship is 120 meters long, 22 meters wide, and has a cargo capacity of 1,200 lane meters. The three-deck design allows for more trailers and containers to be loaded. The clear height of the car deck is 10 meters, and the expected service life is about 30 years.
The "FERRYMAR" was developed and designed by Shanghai Ship Research and Design Institute of China Shipbuilding Group. It is equipped with two medium-speed engines and twin propellers for easy navigation in the shallow water channels of French Guiana. It has a super high cargo hold and excellent cargo handling capacity, capable of loading all components and accessories of the "Ariane 6" carrier rocket, as well as various small cars, trucks, trailers, and other heavy vehicles, as well as packing goods such as hoisting or loading containers. It is also suitable for transporting dangerous goods and refrigerated containers. The ship has clever design, advanced configuration, excellent streamlined shape, and outstanding performance. It adopts new technologies such as low wave resistance bow shape S-BOW, double-twisted rudder with rudder balls, frequency conversion-controlled double side thrust, anti-heeling system, high-voltage shore power system, and low-pressure selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system. It has significant energy-saving and emission reduction effects and meets Tier III emission requirements, with EEDI lower than the baseline by 38.5%.
The famous "Ariane 5" carrier rocket retired after 117 launches on July 6, 2023. Thereafter, the Guiana Space Center will enter the era of "Ariane 6". The successful delivery of the 6,600-ton rocket transport Ro-Ro ship will effectively serve the new round of space exploration and become a link to enhance economic links between the Caribbean islands, creating a larger market for local industrial development and bringing greater economic benefits and social influence to the ship-owning company.
MARFRET is known for providing multimodal transport solutions. Its service network currently covers the globe, including the Mediterranean Sea, the North Atlantic Caribbean, South America, and the South Pacific, occupying a favorable position on major North-South sea routes. In recent years, the company has constantly strengthened its business in the West Indies. Currently, MARFRET operates six ships, including two container ships, three Ro-Ro ships, and one multipurpose ship.
The "FERRYMAR" will serve the route between Marigot Port, Gustavia Port, Pointe-à-Pitre Port, and Fort-de-France Port, becoming a carrier that strengthens economic ties among the four islands in the Caribbean Sea. Its goal is to create a large enough market for the development of local industry, reducing dependence on imports and helping to lower local living costs.
