Kochi | The Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL) on Wednesday said that it has delivered the second of the eight HS Eco Freighter series of multi-purpose vessels (MPVs) to German shipping firm HS Schiffahrts.

The delivery and acceptance protocol was signed on Wednesday between S Harikrishnan, Director (Operations), Cochin Shipyard Ltd and Heinz Josef Schepers, Director of HS Schiffahrts, CSL said in a release.

The vessel has been designed by Netherlands-based Groot Ship Design and constructed at CSL in accordance with the Classification Rules of Det Norske Veritas (DNV), an international expert body which sets standards for ships and offshore structures, the release said.

The HS Eco Freighter MPV, named MS Maria, is a 7,000 deadweight tonnage ice-class vessel capable of carrying heavy cargo, steel coils, containers, timber, paper, dry bulk cargoes such as coal and grain, as well as dangerous goods, for worldwide trading, it said.

The ship features a raked stem with the 'Groot Cross-Bow' design, optimised for enhanced speed performance and fuel efficiency, along with a transom stern.

It is provided with a single large cargo hold fitted with six movable panels, enabling flexible cargo configurations including grain bulkheads at multiple positions and a tween deck arrangement, the release said.

The vessel is powered by a medium-speed four-stroke diesel engine driving a controllable pitch propeller (CPP) through a reduction gearbox, it said.

CSL said that the delivery of MS Maria marks an important milestone in its expanding presence in the international commercial shipbuilding market and reflects its growing capabilities in constructing technologically advanced and versatile merchant vessels for global owners.