New vessels

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Find out the latest updates and more in depth information from our experts on Scillonian IV and Menawethan.

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There has also been notable progress on the construction of our new passenger vessel, with significant advancements across multiple hull blocks.

Hull Block U6: Double Bottom

This block, initially fabricated in the building dock in an inverted position, was successfully lifted, turned over, and set in place where it was integrated with other hull blocks. U6 comprises of double bottom tanks for ballast water, fuel oil and void spaces.

Hull Block U7: Lower Crew Accommodation and Technical Room

After completion and inspection in the fabrication workshop, hull block U7 was transported to the dockside on a transporter. It was turned right-sideup with the Goliath crane and lifted into position above U6 in the building dock, where it was integrated with precise dimensional accuracy.

Hull Block U1: Engine Room Double Bottom

Currently under construction in the fabrication workshop, U1 will form the double bottom under the vessel’s engine room. Our site team with Lloyd’s Register surveyors have conducted thorough checks on the internal structures and welding, with radiographic non-destructive testing and vacuum box testing on the keel plate’s hull welding. The keel doubler plate was then installed following these stringent quality checks.

Hull Block U3: Auxiliary Machinery Space

Construction has been completed in the fabrication workshop; this block will house essential auxiliary machinery. This block will be transported to the building dock in early November and integrated with U1.


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Scillonian IV remains on schedule for delivery in 2026. The hull is also being constructed in units but due to the extra complexity it will consist of 28 unique units, as shown below.

Steel construction of units one, six and seven is underway and steel cutting is underway for unit 16.

Unit 7

Unit 7

Chris and Peter work closely with Piriou’s management and production teams. Currently, there are 105 steel fabricators working on our vessels and many more working behind the scenes on the
detailed design and system integrations.

Each vessel unit is inspected daily by our project team for construction quality and safety. The workmanship and HSE standards are consistently high. The build is also being overseen by classification society surveyors from Lloyd’s Register, who ensure that the builds meet the specific class rules and statutory standards.


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Our new cargo vessel remains on schedule for delivery in early 2026. The vessel is being built through the assembly of 12 unique units as shown in the illustration below.

The subassemblies are fabricated under cover in a number of Piriou’s fabrication sheds and then integrated into the larger units, which are later lowered into the build dock for assembly. The steel construction of units three, four and five is now complete and has been inspected and approved by Lloyd’s Register surveyors and our own team on site. Construction of units one and two is ongoing and steel cutting for units eight and nine is underway.

Photo diary

Peter Broad has been keeping a photo diary of the new vessels’ construction in Vietnam, the below shows part of the cargo vessel construction process.

Unit 3

Unit 4

Unit 5

Unit 5


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Site manager Peter Broad explains the technical side of the steel cutting progress.

Steel cutting is not only a contractual milestone but is the start of the production and fabrication of a ship.

The steel for both vessels has been delivered to Piriou shipyard in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

The steel plate and sections are approved by Lloyd’s Register, the leading provider of classification and compliance services to the marine industry. Surveyors from Lloyd’s Register have certified the steel for marine use, specifically for our project, as part of its supply chain and quality assurance measures.

The Lloyd’s Register unique certificate number is hard stamped onto each steel plate, which corresponds to a material/mill certificate. The details on the mill certificate are unique to each plate and show the grade of steel, its chemical properties and mechanical properties, including strength and ductility. These quality tests are carried out at the steel mill and witnessed by the attending Lloyd’s Register surveyor.

When the plate is received in the shipyard it goes through a blasting process carried out in a closed machine that blasts both surfaces of the plate with shot to a minimum standard of SA2.5. This not only removes any mill scale and rust, but also provides a rough finish so that a shop primer paint can be applied immediately in a semi-automatic process.

The purpose of the shop primer is to stop any further rusting and to make it easier to mark out the plate for cutting into distinct pieces for fabrication. The shop primer paint is also approved by Lloyd’s Register so it does not contaminate the welding processes.

The plate is then transferred to the cutting table which is a plasma cutter that is controlled by Computer Numeric Control (CNC). This is programmed with a ‘nesting plan’ that is like a jigsaw and allows the maximum number of small component pieces to be cut out of one steel plate with minimum waste. Each part cut from the parent plate has a unique part number and is traceable back to the original plate.

Once the steel plate is cut into small component pieces it is ready to move to the panel workshop where the first parts are welded together.

Photo diary

Peter Broad has been keeping a photo diary of the new vessels’ construction in Vietnam, the below all show some of the the cargo vessel hull block construction process.

3RD JULY
Component parts for sub-assemblies cut from LR Grade parent steel plate.
3RD JULY
Sub-assembly components being prepared on the dockside.
19TH JULY 
Hull Block U3 Tank Top prepared ready for welding.