#Hullcompleted - Arklow View (yard no. 722) the second newbuild, currently under construction for Arklow Shipping, made notable progress at a Dutch inland yard on Monday, as the fore and aft sections were joined to form the hull, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The aftship was transported outside from building hall at Royal Bodewes yard in Hoogezand outside Groningen, for connection to the fore-ship. This took place alongside the quay of the north-eastern Dutch shipyard. Close to this location within the yard complex is where the newbuild will be launched sideways into a canal, like leadship, Arklow Vale which made a September spectacular splash!

Arklow View is the latest of the series of 10 ‘V’ class cargoships of the 5,100dwat Bodewes Traders design on order for ASL’s Dutch division, Arklow Shipping Nederland B.V. The 2,999grt series have a Bureau Veritas class Notation of Class 1+ Hull Mach +AUT-UMS, IWS, strength bottom, heavy cargo and general cargo.

The newbuilds feature a distinctive bow from Groot Ship Design, so to minimise wave resistance and improve fuel energy efficiency. At 89m (LOA) long the hull has a total hold capacity of 6258m3 / 221,000ft3 and hatch covers use a Coops & Nieborg pontoon system.

A main powerplant is from a MaK 6M25 1740 kW engine with Siemens Gearbox. This generates a speed of around 14.5 knots and the newbuilds have a Berg controllable pitch propeller.

When work is completed on Arklow View, she will follow the leadship’s wake along the canals connecting to Delfzijl on the Ems Estuary. It was from Delfzijl, where Arklow Vale took sea-trials out into the Wadden Sea before making her maiden repositioning voyage into the North Sea to Ghent.

Arklow Vale was understood to have made her first commercial voyage flying the Dutch flag as she set sail from the Belgium port with an arrival at the weekend to Pasaia in northern Spain.