Federal Government for the first time procures multi-purpose vessels with liquefied gas propulsion

The order for two new special vessels for the Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration was placed with Lemwerder-based shipyard ABEKING & RASMUSSEN. On January 20, 2020, representatives of the Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration and the shipyard signed the supply contract in Hamburg.

From 2023 on, the Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration will use the new multi-purpose vessels for cleaning up oil and chemical spills and for firefighting as well as for emergency towing of damaged ships. A special feature of the new vessels is their LNG propulsion. This is the first time that the Federal Government is relying on environmentally friendly liquefied gas engines for maritime emergency care services as well. Due to the scheduled operations in flammable and explosive environments, the gas-powered vessels are planned and constructed according to a strict safety concept.

Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek supported the Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration in awarding the contract in the amount of about EUR 400 million.

Advisors: Dr. Ute Jasper (Team Leader “Public Sector & Public Procurement”), Kirstin van de Sande (Public Procurement Law), Dr. Christopher Marx (Contract Law), all Düsseldorf.

The “Public Sector & Public Procurement” department has been one of the market leaders in public procurement law for years. Its lawyers hold top spots in German and international lawyer rankings. Since 1991, they have advised on awards, restructuring, large-scale projects, and cooperations in the public sector and have accompanied several hundred large-scale projects of federal, state, and local authorities and their subsidiaries with a total volume in excess of EUR 40 billion without any procedure having been successfully challenged to date.

Dr. Ute Jasper is one of the most renowned lawyers for procurement and infrastructure projects in the public sector. She advises federal and state ministries, municipalities, and businesses, particularly on innovative and complex projects. Ute Jasper heads Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek's “Public Sector & Public Procurement” department. For years, she has been ranked number 1 with her team in JUVE Handbook of Commercial Law Firms. According to “Law Firms in Germany,” she is the “premier contact on the market” for infrastructure. In October 2016, she received the JUVE Award for Regulated Industries with her team.

Kirstin van de Sande, Partner, is a member of the “Public Sector & Public Procurement: practice group with a focus on designing and implementing complex public procurement procedures.

Dr. Christopher Marx, Partner and member of the “Public Sector & Public Procurement” practice group, is a specialist for the drafting of contracts under civil law in complex public procurement procedures.

_{Photo credit: ABEKING & RASMUSSEN Schiffs- und Yachtwerft SE}