Allseas takes delivery of new cargo barge for offshore platform transport

Allseas’ new cargo barge Braveheart, built by the CIMC Changhong Shipyard, which held a keel-laying ceremony for the new vessel in April 2025, has now departed China for the Netherlands.

Braveheart was purpose-built to fit precisely within Pioneering Spirit’s bow slot to enable seamless transfer of offshore structures, from decommissioned platforms heading ashore to newly built topsides and offshore wind substations destined for installation, the company said via social media on February 25.

At 200 meters long and 57 meters wide, the new cargo barge is a close match to Iron Lady, but with a deeper operational draught, a full electric ballast system for faster load transfer operations, and a significantly higher deck load capacity, Allseas says.

Now en route to Rotterdam, Braveheart will be outfitted to final completion and operational readiness, ahead of supporting Pioneering Spirit’s 2026 heavy lift commitments in the North Sea.

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Last year, Allseas placed an order with China’s Guangzhou Shipyard International for a semi-submersible heavy transport vessel, which the company plans to use in executing TenneT’s 2 GW offshore wind programme. The new vessel, named Grand Tour, will have a load capacity of 40,000 tons and is also designed to fit precisely within the bow slot of Pioneering Spirit.