This Abis ‘Dover’ is Vuyk Engineering Groningen designed 6000 tonne twin screw, diesel-electric powered, multipurpose special cargo vessel. It has two separate engine rooms aft and a forward situated superstructure for accommodation and wheelhouse. The hull has a raked stem with a bulbous bow, and is built with a transom stern.

It is designed as an open top vessel with a limited draught. The vessel boasts a large box-shaped cargo hold with a length of more than 80 meters. It has been designed for world-wide trade and unrestricted service being suitable, both for the transportation of special cargo and bulk goods, as well as 20′ and 40′ containers. For this purpose the main deck hatches and the tank-top are fitted with lashing facilities for containers. These special design features, in combination with a Dynamic Positioning System, reinforce the commercial deployment of the vessel for established and new markets.

The design is based on a new electric propulsion drive using an innovative DC bus system for the main electric installation. However, the use of proven components in this system insures projected reliability and performance for these vessels. Due to the complex set of requirements, a number of other innovations have been implemented, for example the power management is based on the direct current principle. The diesel-electric propulsion is based on a flexible and redundant drive that complies with the new legislation for low sulphur emissions that comes into force on January 1st, 2015.

The development of the VG6000-E started in 2009 by Vuyk Engineering Groningen in collaboration with Amasus Shipping and a number of other special cargo stake holders. The contract to build the first 3 vessels was awarded to Shipkits BV.

Number one, “MV Jaguar”, will be built for Jaguar Shipping; number two “MV Dover” and three “MV Dublin” will become the first ships in the D-type series of Abis Shipping and will join the fleet as big brothers of the Abis B-series.

Jaguar Shipping will take delivery of the first vessel mid April 2012, the remaining two will be delivered to Abis Shipping later on.