July 6 - Silverburn Shipping Group has taken delivery of two Damen Stan Pontoon 8916 ICE vessels.

The two 89 m Stan Pontoons were built at one of Damen's partner yards in China - Nantong Yahua Shipbuilding.

"We could offer Silverburn a very quick turnaround because we had these pontoons in stock," says Damen UK sales manager, Casper Vermeulen. "After carrying out minor modifications to the internal ballast tanks to bring these vessels in line with the client's specifications, we had them ready for delivery within a matter of weeks."

Damen's Stan Pontoons 8916 ICE have 1,465 sq m of available deck space, with a 15 tonnes/sq m carrying capacity. The vessels' ice notation was a key part of the acquisition process: "These pontoons stay operational in the hardest winter conditions - for both inland and coastal assignments," said Vermeulen.

Of particular value to Silverburn Shipping Group, a maritime service provider with activities in the Baltic, Caspian, Black and Mediterranean Seas, is the 16.5 m beam of the Stan Pontoon 8916 ICE.

This is the maximum beam permitted in the Volga-Don Canal, the shortest navigable link between the Caspian Sea and the Sea of Azov (and, therefore, the Black Sea and beyond).

As the contract specified that the vessels were delivered under the Russian flag, Damen was also involved in the transfer of relevant registration documentation.

These are not the only Damen vessels to be found in Silverburn Shipping Group's fleet: the company purchased two identical Stan Pontoons back in 2012.

www.damen.com

www.silverburngroup.com