Artist's impression of an ABB HL500 series vessel at sea, carrying wind turbine blades on deck
Artist's impression of the HL500 series

Four new heavy-lift vessels

Four 12,600 DWT Octopus-type multipurpose heavy-lift vessels with a combined lifting capacity of 500 tonnes.

Four heavy-lift newbuilds for our fleet

In the year of our 20th anniversary, Asia Break Bulk has signed long-term agreements with Schoeller Holdings for four 12,600 DWT multipurpose project cargo newbuilds. The Octopus-type vessels, designed by CSSC-SDARI, combine two 250-tonne cranes with a single box-shaped hold of more than 89 metres and ice class 1A.

Our customers increasingly ask for shorter transit times and direct access to ports and destinations with draft and infrastructure limitations. These vessels are designed to carry long, heavy and complex cargoes directly to destinations beyond the typical liner hubs, minimising transshipment and intermediate handling.

The first vessel is scheduled for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2028; her three sister vessels follow in 2029. With the new fleet, ABB will follow the demand of its customers worldwide with a flexible tramp service.

Deadweight
12,600 t
Lifting capacity in tandem
500 t
MacGregor cranes
2 × 250 t
Single box-shaped hold
89.38 m
Ice class
1A
Service speed
15 kn

The HL500 series

Four sister vessels built to one design and delivered one after the other.

  1. Under construction

    ABB HL500 1

    The lead vessel of the HL500 series and the first of four heavy-lift newbuilds for Asia Break Bulk. Construction has started; delivery is planned for the fourth quarter of 2028.

    Planned delivery
    Q4 2028
    Current phase
    Contract signed
    Deadweight
    12,600 t
    Lifting capacity in tandem
    500 t

  2. Coming soon

    ABB HL500 2

    Sister vessel to ABB HL500 1, built to the same heavy-lift design.

    Planned delivery
    Q1 2029
    Deadweight
    12,600 t
    Lifting capacity in tandem
    500 t

    Build updates for this vessel will follow once construction starts.

Designed for project cargo

  • Lifts of up to 500 tonnes

    Two 250-tonne MacGregor cranes work in tandem for lifts of up to 500 tonnes, with an outreach of up to 41 metres.

  • One hold of more than 89 metres

    A single box-shaped, open-hatch hold of 89.38 × 17.60 × 12.15 m takes long, heavy and oversized project cargo.

  • Extra room on deck

    The bridge-forward layout creates extra space for oversized cargo on deck.

  • Winter trading

    Ice class 1A allows trading to ice-affected areas in winter.

  • Fuel-efficient

    The design is optimised for fuel efficiency at a service speed of 15 knots and is IMO Tier III (SCR) compliant.

For us, this investment is not simply about adding four vessels to our fleet. It is about strengthening our capabilities, responding to evolving customer requirements and ensuring that we can confidently say “yes” to the increasingly complex transport challenges our customers will bring us in the years ahead.

Maximilian Fischer General Manager, Asia Break Bulk

Behind the project

  • COLI Group

    Asia Break Bulk is the carrier brand of Hamburg-based COLI Group. The newbuilds strengthen the group’s carrier activities and its ability to carry out complex logistics projects as one integrated operation.

  • Schoeller Holdings

    Project partner, offering stability and deep knowledge of fleet building and financing, and facilitating the four newbuilds.

  • Columbia Shipmanagement

    Supervises the newbuilding process and will take on technical and crew management once the vessels are operational.

  • CSSC-SDARI

    Designer of the Octopus-type multipurpose vessels.

Plan your project cargo on the HL500 series

Talk to our chartering team about long, heavy and complex cargo on the new vessels, or download the vessel description for the full technical details.

Contact our chartering team Download vessel description (PDF)