Start of flame cutting for two SWATH@A&R pilot transfer vessels

On Tuesday, March 25, 2025, Abeking & Rasmussen (A&R), together with representatives of Dutch Pilotage Service Organisation, celebrated the start of flame cutting for the first of two SWATH@A&R pilot transfer vessels – Hull no. 6517 – in a festive ceremony.

As Björn Schlüter (COO of A&R) aptly put it in his welcoming words, the actual creation of the ship is now beginning. A&R’s designers have already been working intensively on theoretical calculations, technical diagrams and drawings in coordination with the customer and the classification society over the past few months.

Pim Keijzer, Fleet Manager of Dutch Pilotage Service Organisation, as well as the representatives of the Newbuilding Committee and the Dutch pilots present, then learned directly from Florian Wagner, Deputy Head of Welding and Shipbuilding Department, which parts the system burned out of the first aluminum plate in shipbuilding hall R2 at the burning machine.

The future construction site in the corresponding shipbuilding hall was then inspected, followed by the formal signing of the milestone certificate in the presence of the local DNV (Det Norske Vertias) inspector, Sven Dreessen.

Together with the project team, we are looking forward to the further development of the two swath tenders and are eagerly awaiting the next milestone – the keel laying – probably in September 2025.

Photo: A&R-Representatives and Team of Dutch Pilotage Service Organisation at flame cutting of Hull-No. 6517
(from left to right): Arnout Oosterhof, Job van Setten, Jamie Reurink, Toyah Kliver, Hans Mol, Stephan Schubert, Damien Benthem, Florian Wagner, Björn Schlüter, Pim Keijzer, Sven Dreessen and Christoph Arndt.