A Damen SPa 4207, the second vessel in an order of four Damen vessels for the Jamaica Defence Force Coast Guard, has been officially handed over in Kingston, Jamaica onboard the BBC Chartering’s vessel, BBC Congo.

Construction on the vessel had already begun when the global pandemic struck and the rapid spread of the virus meant that upon completion of the vessel, pandemic travel restrictions made it unfeasible to arrange a crew to deliver her on own keel since the crew would not be permitted to return to their home countries once they arrived in Jamaica.

Damen Services vessel delivery teams devised an alternative arrangement. The vessel left Damen Song Cam Shipyard in Vietnam, not on her own keel as is usual for this model, but on board the BBC Congo, a heavy transport vessel.

The SPa 4207 was loaded in Hai Phong Harbour in June 2021. COVID measures prevented Damen’s heavy lift team from being present to supervise her loading, but a local team was called upon to ensure the vessel was carefully loaded and properly secured. Once final checks had been made, the BBC Congo sailed East across the South Pacific and through the Panama Canal, before arriving, just under two months later, in Kingston, Jamaica. On the morning of her arrival, the JDF’s new vessel was offloaded and, with a support fleet of smaller craft, was delivered to its base nearby.