Singapore Technologies Marine orders cargo access equipment for Airbus vessels
Swedish cargo equipment manufacturer TTS Ships Equipment AB has won an order from Singapore Technologies Marine Ltd (ST Marine) to deliver a total of 720 tonnes of equipment to two special purpose RoRo vessels for Louis Dreyfus Armateurs in association with Hoegh Autoliners, for long term employment to Airbus.
The equipment order, for hull numbers 615 and 616 at ST Marine, consists of stern ramp/door, ramp cover, hoistable car ramp, rampway door, liftable car decks, pilot and bunker doors and hatch covers.
TTS will deliver the design and parts, and supervise the installation. Equipment is scheduled for delivery during first and second quarter of 2007, and the vessels are due for delivery to the owner in May and November 2008. All equipment will comply with the relevant safety conventions for such vessels.
The equipment order is for vessels that will be used within the logistics system of the Airbus A380, the new 555-seat double-deck passenger airliner. The vessels will transport A380 components between Hamburg, Mostyn, Cadiz, St. Nazaire and Bordeaux.
Growing demand for the Airbus A380 has led to the requirement for the new vessels, which have a reduced draft and are smaller than the “Ville De Bordeaux”, a vessel delivered to the same owners in 2004, already in service for Airbus, and with TTS cargo access equipment onboard.
Stellan Bernsro, Managing Director of TTS Ships Equipment AB, says: “We’re delighted that ST Marine has chosen TTS for cargo access equipment for Airbus/Louis Dreyfus vessels. It is exciting to be part of an undertaking as significant as the Airbus A380 supply chain and we are proud of our role in the safe and efficient delivery of Airbus parts worldwide.”
Across its entire range, Airbus has over 4,000 aircraft in service, each of which comprises over a million parts. The company employs the most sophisticated techniques for managing the supply of parts throughout the world. Thousands of suppliers and individuals worldwide are involved in the supply chain and the RoRo vessels are a crucial link in ensuring that parts are available in the right place and at the right time.
About TTS
Norway’s TTS Marine ASA comprises four divisions – Dry Cargo Handling (Sweden) Port and Material Handling (Sweden), Marine Cranes (Norway) and Deck Machinery (Germany). Part of the Dry Cargo Division, TTS Ships Equipment AB, located in Gothenburg, is designated the RoRo equipment ‘Centre of Excellence’.
Gothenburg, 18 September 2006