WALLENIUS Wilhelmsen’s fourth and final HERO-class vessel, MV Nabucco has started its journey towards Europe and is expected to reach Zeebrugge at the beginning of December.
The vessel was delivered by Tianjin Xingang Shipbuilding and is the last in the series of four HERO (high-efficiency ro-ro carrier) vessels contracted in June 2013.
Nabucco has the capacity for 7700 vehicles and like her sister vessels Tannhauser, Titus and Traviata, it is designed with energy efficiency in mind.
Wallenius Wilhelmsen executive vice-president and COO Erik Noeklebye said the vessel would provide sorely needed capacity on the fleet side.
“This also marks a shift in our history, because it is the last vessel delivered based on conventional fuel technology,” he said.
“This was the most sustainable vessel at that time, and while we now look to next-generation energy solutions, HERO class and Nabucco still represent green advantages compared to other vessel designs. The HERO vessels will continue to be a core part of our competitive advantage in the high and heavy and breakbulk market.”
Nabucco is named after an Italian-language opera in four acts composed in 1841 by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Temistocle Solera. “Nabucco” is the opera that is considered to have permanently established Verdi’s reputation as a composer.
The vessel is 200 metres in length with a width of 36 metres. Its draught is reported to be 10 meters.
