Cork based shipping group, Irish Mainport Holdings have confirmed the purchase of another ship named Mainport Edge following a ceremony held last week at a shipyard in Fujian, China, writes Jehan Ashmore.

Afloat.ie contacted Mainport which said that the vessel was 90% completed in 2015, but since their purchase earlier this year, they have seen the remainder of the works completed by Fujian Mawei Shipbuilding Ltd. As such the Mainport Edge will be classed as 2023 newbuild.

All sea trials including Dynamic Positioning (DP) trials were completed in October.

The 60m length overall all (LOA) newbuild follows previous acquisition, the 50m LOA Mainport Geo, as Afloat previously reported in 2021 at Cork Dockyard and this ship will be utilised in the European offshore wind sector.

At the closing ceremony of the purchased newbuild, were Mainport’s marine director Captain Dermot Curtin, their marine lawyer, Ed Watt from Addleshaw Goddard, Edinburgh office, Mr Huang RuTang Chairman of Fujian Mawei shipyard, Sophie Low director of M3 Marine brokers, and Chris Huang and Yang Yubin from Chuangzheng Overseas Development

There has been a technical team of 5 people at the shipyard for the last few weeks of October, and Mainport’s senior technical manager Vince Gallagher remained at the yard into early this month while they change to a new BV Class, so to be consistent with rest of the fleet in Irish Mainport Holdings.

Mainport in recent weeks added to Afloat that its intention is to slow-steam the Mainport Edge to Turkey, so to undergo various planned upgrades and improvements to make the ship ideal for the offshore wind survey sector, similar to that carried out for Mainport Geo.

It is expected that the newbuild is to arrive in the Mediterranean towards the end of December, though a dockyard had yet to be finalised.