This multi-purpose freighter with hull No. SF100112 (IMO Nr.: 9614701), a sister ship of the CLIPPER HELVETIA was ordered in 2011 by an investor group around the Swiss shipping company SCL Reederei AG, Bern, Switzerland with the ship builders Taizhou Sanfu Ship Engineering Co. Ltd., Taizhou, province Jiangsu, P.R. of China.
On 16.10.2012 the keel was laid and on 16.03.2013 the ship was launched with its originally intended name CLIPPER TRUDY. During sea trials the new building bore the provisional, Chinese name SAN FU 18002.
On 06.08.2013 she was delivered by the builders and registered in the Swiss shipping registry under the owner's name SCL TRUDY with home port Basel (official No.: 208, call sign: HBEH, registered owner: SCL Trudy AG, Unterägeri, Switzerland). The technical and commercial management is provided by Enzian Ship Management AG, Zürich, Switzerland.
The freighter originally was intended to go in time charter with Clipper Projects A/S of the Danish Clipper Group, Copenhagen and receive the charterer's name CLIPPER TRUDY. During the fitting-out phase of the vessel, the intended charterers Clipper Projects A/S was taken over by another Danish company Thorco http://www.thorcoshipping.com and the initial plans were abandoned. The cargo ship went in time charter with Nirint Shipping Rotterdam and bears the owner's name SCL TRUDY.
This modern, multi-purpose cargo vessel has three cargo holds with removable tween decks to carry bulk cargo, general/project cargo and containers. The holds have a ventilation system and in case of fire can be flooded with CO2. In the container service she can carry a total of 1074 Twentyfeetcontainers (TEU = Twenty Feet Unit), 424 TEU-Container in the cargo holds and 623 TEU-Container on the hatch covers. A total of 152 reefer plugs for reefer containers are available.
The three cranes, made by McGregor have a lifting capacity of 80 mt each. Two cranes can work in tandem and lift a cargo of 146 mt, by using the large, 14 mt spreader. For container handling two container spreaders are provided, one for 20-feet containers and one for 40-feet containers. The ship carries no grabs for bulk cargo handling.
Propulsion is by one 6-cylinder, reversible diesel engine of MAN-B&W design, built by Hyundai, type: 6S50MC-C MK8. The engine is directly coupled to a fixed pitch propeller. For better manoeuvring a bow thruster of 750 kW is installed.
The captain and the senior officers are from eastern Europe, the junior officers and the ratings are from Sri Lanka. The crew has a total of 18 persons.
At the time of writing (23.08.2013) the charterers have not jet fixed the vessel and the SCL TRUDY is still waiting for orders in China. SwissShips, HPS, MB, August 2013.
23.12.2015: Domicil of owers allocated to Freienbach SZ.
On November 12, 2017 at San Francisco USA renamed TRUDY and the Ship Management allocated to Massoel Shipping SA, Geneva.
Changed flag to the Antigua & Barbuda flag on April 16, 2020 in Eemshaven in the Netherlands and registered as BBC RHONETAL in St. John's. The new owner is now Nortmoor Briese Schiffahrts and management has been transferred to Briese Schiffahrts GmbH & Co KG, Hafenstrasse 12, 26789 Leer in Germany. ISM Manager: Briese Heavylift GmbH & Co KG, Leer.
Additional Informationen and Stories
Modern life boats
The freefall life boat:
Today many cargo ships are equipped with a freefall life boat. It must be located at the stern of the vessel to permit launching in any ship's position (list to either side 20° and a trim of 10° by the stern or bow). The completely enclosed life boat is stowed on a davit or slanted slipway with its bow towards the water surface and must be of strong construction to withstand the large forces exerted during launching. The freefall life boat is only suitable to rapidly evacuate the ship in case of emergency, especially during heavy sea conditions. For other tasks, like the rescue of persons fallen overboard or similar duties, it is not much suitable. The boats must be selfrightening to prevent complete capsizing.
On a 10'000 ton ship the height of fall can be as much as 15 meters. To protect the crew from the high gravity forces, special seats with safety belts, facing to the stern of the boat are necessary. In an emergency the crew boards the survival craft and when all are safely seated, the boat skipper can release the boat from the inside. The preparation time to evacuate the ship are significantly shorter, then with conventional life boats.
To launch the boat for a test run and to retrieve it afterwards, the store- or provision crane is used. If no crane is available, the davit is equipped with a hydraulic frame for the boat handling.
Life boats on tankers and in the offshore Industry:
These can be freefall or conventional life boats, however they have to comply to special requirements in respect to fire safety and gas tightness. They have to be constructed of fire-proof material and have to be completely enclosed, to evacute the survivors out of the danger zone of burning oil or leaking gas.
Compressed air has to be stored on board for the engine and the passengers. In the boat a small over pressure has to be maintained to prevent toxic gas from entering. With a water spray plant the exterior of the boat can be cooled.
The rescue boat:
Today every ship has additionally to carry a fast rescue boat, which can be lowered quickly. Its two main purposes are to rescue persons drifting in the water and in case of abandoning the ship to collect and tow the inflatable life rafts. The rescue boat has to be placed on board in such a way to be well protected during heavy weather. The propulsion motor can be either an inboard- or an outboard engine.
The inflatable life rafts:
The inflatable life rafts are mandatory since the seventies. They are stowed in a round, white plastic container along the ship's side. They can be thrown by the crew into the water, some are stowed on a small slipway. When hitting the water surface, they inflate automatically. If not activated by the crew, they must come free and inflate by themselves during the sinking of the ship, allowing to be used by survivors drifting in the water. These inflatable life rafts and its contents, like drinking water, provisions and equipment have to be inspected on shore annually by an approved company.
Hyperbaric life boat:
Offshore vessels carrying saturation divers on board, require a hyperbaric life boat, in which the divers under saturation can be evacuated. These boats have a compression chamber.
SwissShips, HPS, August 2013