Reported by Africa Ports & Ships

The Chinese (COSCO) heavylift semi-submersible XIAN RUI KOU (IMO 948 3102) arrived in Durban on Saturday morning after a day or two spent at the outer anchorage. On entry into port she excited quite a lot of attention as the giant ensemble moved slowly across the bay and into position, delicately, at R berth – which is normally used by car carriers. The heavylift was carrying her ‘cargo’ being the oil rig vessel VICTORY 1 and was on a journey from New Orleans in the USA to India.

Built in 2011 the semi-submersible heavylift vessel has a deadweight of 48,293 tons and is 216.7 metres in length by 43m wide. Xiang Rui Kou was last in the port of Durban in November 2017 when she arrived, also for bunkers, with a cutter suction dredger on her decks.

The heavylift vessel was built at the Guangzhou International Shipyard in Guangzhou in China. She sailed again from Durban the following day (Sunday 22 April 2018). Picture courtesy of Quintus van der Merwe.