Point-class sealift ship
The Hartland Point
LR 100 A1, RoRo Cargo Ship, IWS, LI, Ice Class 1A, LMC, PSMR, SCM, IBS, NAV1, ICC, UMS
The Point class is a series of multipurpose RoRo vessels that are part of the British Ministry of Defence (MoD ). The six sister ships emerged from 2001 to 2003 for British bill on the basis of the ship's draft RoRo 2700 Flensburg shipbuilding company and serve the strategic transport of military cargo predominantly rolling.
History
During the military operations of the 1990s ( Second Gulf War, Bosnian War, etc.) made the Ministry of Defence (MoD ) find that the short term no suitable tonnage for the required by the Joint Rapid Reaction Forces rapid transport of military equipment and the necessary global supply of troops could charter.
After the Ship Chandlers had been appraised in July 1998 on four neuzubauende RoRo container ships, the demand increased in April 1999 with the decision that by 2002 /03 the current Charter of the previously RoRo ships RFA Sea Crusader ( A96 ), RFA Sea Centurion not to renew ( A98 ) and Dart 10 on six ships. The new program should be processed under a " Private Finance Initiative" ( PFI), similar to the " builder -and- charter " system of the U.S. Military Sealift Command, which allows normal operation as a trading ship outside of military operations. The new program was announced by EU law and from the company NOVOMAR, Maersk, AWSR Sealion Shipping Ltd and beboten.
The British shipping company A.W.S.R. Shipping received on 26 October 2000 the contract to build the six vessels and operate for 25 years. After lengthy negotiations between AWSR and Harland & Wolff and numerous delays, the construction contracts were signed until mid- 2001. The signed until June 2002 final total contract work on the construction and operation of the vehicles until 2024 comprised around 950 million pounds. AWSR Shipping, meanwhile Foreland Shipping are responsible for filling, maintenance and operation of the vehicles do not run as warships. The occupation is carried out on behalf of the MoD exclusively with British staff that after a learning phase is also available for reserve purposes, while recourse in the remaining time on multinational crews.
The georderte ship type is based on the ro -ro ship design 2700- Flensburg shipbuilding company, which also built four of the six units in Flensburg. Two other sister ships built the famous Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in order to ensure timely delivery of the series.
Construction of the first ship in the autumn of 2001 also in Belfast, the first keel was laid there on 8 October 2001. Flensburg In the first keel was followed on 21 January 2002. On August 16, 2002 was in Flensburg with the Hurst Point the first ship of the series are passed. The first Harland & Wolff ship was followed on 21 October 2002. Anvil Point decided on 31 March 2003 the construction of the series.
Technical details
The cargo decks of the ships are spread over three decks up directly under the residential facilities in the deckhouse, which contributes to the characteristic appearance. The ships have extensive cargo facilities. For the handling of cargo ships over stern ramps and an internal ramp system have to connect the main deck and cargo decks. In addition, each ship has a mounted amidships forward of the deckhouse deck crane.
Starting from the civilian designed for the transport of semi-trailers, general ro-ro cargoes, Mafi trailers, containers and tanks Ro -Ro 2700 draft, the vessels of the Point class were matched to the requirements of the MoD. The ships of the Point class are therefore designed for the transportation of 25 Challenger 2 tanks, 24 Warrior armored personnel carriers, self-propelled 155- mm - propelled howitzers, and other vehicles and trailers. On the trailer deck 189 12.6 m long each semitrailer find space. There are 485 lane meters on the lower cargo deck and 975 m on the main deck. Overall, the ships have the space on the weather deck each road 2606 meters. On a design draft of 6.6 m, the ships transport about 10,000 tons with up to 22 knots speed. However, it is possible higher drafts and payloads. The normal service speed is estimated at 18 knots.
The ships
Civil use
Because the ships are not used consistently by the British Ministry of Defense, some of them are chartered out to civilian companies, however, can always be withdrawn for military operations at short notice. The Longstone and the Beachy Head were 2003 to 2009 for the Finnish shipping company Transfennica in use. Since January 2009, they are used under charter of which is also based in Finland Finnlines in the Baltic Sea.