ANNEGRET (IMO 9147710) Table Bay, Cape Town

 ANNEGRET IMO 9147710 | Heavy-Lift Cargo Ship Specifications

ANNEGRET IMO 9147710: explore the German-built heavy-lift cargo ship, specifications, cranes, cargo capacity, history and maritime significance.

Photographer's Note: ANNEGRET (IMO 9147710) was photographed by Vernon Chalmers in Table Bay, Cape Town. The image forms part of the Vernon Chalmers Photography Maritime Studies Project and is also published in the Shipspotting.com database.

A German-Built Heavy-Lift Workhorse

ANNEGRET (IMO 9147710)

The ANNEGRET (IMO 9147710) is a particularly interesting vessel from a maritime-observation perspective because her appearance can initially suggest a conventional general-cargo ship, while her actual design places her firmly within the specialised heavy-lift and multipurpose vessel sector.

Built in Germany in 2000 by J.J. Sietas KG Schiffswerft in Hamburg-Neuenfelde, ANNEGRET belongs to the Sietas Type 161A family of heavy-lift vessels. Her principal role is the transportation of heavy, oversized and project cargo that cannot easily be handled by conventional bulk carriers or container ships. The vessel was designed around this requirement, combining a large cargo hold, extensive deck space and substantial onboard lifting capacity. (sal-heavylift.com)

For a shipspotter, therefore, ANNEGRET represents an important category of vessel: the self-geared heavy-lift ship. Her cranes are not simply supplementary cargo-handling equipment; they are fundamental to the vessel's commercial identity.

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Vessel Identity

ANNEGRET carries the international IMO number 9147710, which provides her permanent maritime identity irrespective of changes in ownership, management or flag. Her MMSI is 304081024 and her callsign is V2LL. She is registered under the flag of Antigua and Barbuda, with St. John's as her port of registry. (myShipTracking)

The vessel was completed in March 2000, following construction at J.J. Sietas as yard number 1162. Historical shipbuilding records place her keel laying in February 1996, launching in January 2000 and completion on 18 March 2000. (schiffsspotter.de)

Her classification as a Type 161A vessel is significant. The class was developed by Sietas as a family of relatively compact but highly capable heavy-lift ships. ANNEGRET was built alongside sister vessels including GRIETJE, PAULA and WIEBKE, creating a recognisable group within the SAL Heavy Lift fleet. (sal-heavylift.com)

Principal Specifications

According to SAL Heavy Lift's published Type 161A particulars, ANNEGRET has the following principal specifications:

Name: ANNEGRET
IMO: 9147710
MMSI: 304081024
Callsign: V2LL
Ship type: Heavy-lift / multipurpose general cargo vessel
Type: Sietas 161A
Year built: 2000
Shipyard: J.J. Sietas KG, Germany
Flag: Antigua and Barbuda
Port of registry: St. John's
Length overall: 151.67 m
Beam overall: 21.02 m
Moulded breadth: 20.40 m
Moulded depth: 10.50 m
Maximum summer draught: 7.85 m
Gross tonnage: 8,397 GT
Net tonnage: 4,178 NT
Deadweight: approximately 9,360 tonnes
Cargo-hold volume: 13,604 m³
Free deck area: 2,329 m²
Main engine: MAN 9L48/60 diesel
Main-engine output: 9,450 kW
Service speed: approximately 18–20 knots
Bow thruster: 750 kW
Cargo cranes: 2 × 320-tonne SWL plus 1 × 200-tonne SWL
Combined heavy-lift capacity: up to 640 tonnes using the two 320-tonne cranes. (sal-heavylift.com)

The figures above demonstrate why simply describing ANNEGRET as a "general cargo ship" does not adequately convey her capabilities. She is a purpose-designed project-cargo platform.

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The Heavy-Lift Capability

The defining feature of ANNEGRET is her cargo-handling equipment.

She carries two cranes rated at 320 tonnes Safe Working Load (SWL), which can be operated together for a combined lifting capacity of 640 tonnes. A third crane provides an additional 200-tonne SWL capability. Auxiliary hoists further extend the operational flexibility of the main cargo-handling system. (sal-heavylift.com)

This arrangement gives ANNEGRET an important degree of independence from shore-based infrastructure. A conventional general-cargo ship may require a suitably equipped terminal crane to load or discharge heavy project cargo. A vessel such as ANNEGRET can bring much of that lifting capability with her.

That characteristic is particularly valuable when transporting industrial equipment to ports where heavy-lift infrastructure is limited, unavailable or already heavily committed.

The vessel's two principal cranes can also work in tandem. This is particularly important when a single piece of machinery is too heavy for one crane but falls within the combined lifting envelope of the two cranes. The published SAL fleet documentation specifies a combined capacity of 640 tonnes for the two 320-tonne cranes. (sal-heavylift.com)

The significance becomes easier to appreciate when considering actual project cargo. Historical reports document ANNEGRET handling very large industrial components, including an operation in which three MAN engines with a combined weight of approximately 965 tonnes were loaded at Saint-Nazaire. Such operations illustrate the type of specialised maritime logistics for which the vessel was designed. (Marine Marchande)

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Cargo Space and Deck Arrangement

ANNEGRET's lifting machinery is complemented by a large single cargo hold measuring approximately 82.90 metres by 15.80 metres, with a height of approximately 10.97 metres. The hold volume is listed at 13,604 cubic metres. The vessel also provides approximately 2,329 square metres of free deck space. (sal-heavylift.com)

This combination of enclosed and open cargo capacity makes the ship suitable for a wide range of project cargo.

Possible cargoes for this type of vessel include industrial machinery, generators, transformers, construction equipment, components for energy projects, large engines and other cargoes whose dimensions or mass make conventional containerisation impractical.

The broad open deck is particularly important. Heavy-lift vessels are not simply floating warehouses; they are specialised transportation platforms in which cargo geometry, weight distribution, lifting radius, deck strength and vessel stability all interact.

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Propulsion and Performance

ANNEGRET is powered by a MAN 9L48/60 diesel engine. SAL's published ship particulars give the main-engine output as 9,450 kW, while other historical databases report closely related figures. The official SAL documentation is therefore the preferred reference for the specification. (sal-heavylift.com)

The vessel's published operating speed is approximately 18 knots at 85% MCR, while fleet documentation commonly lists a maximum/service speed of around 20 knots. (sal-heavylift.com)

This is an important characteristic of the Type 161A design. Heavy-lift capability does not necessarily imply a slow vessel. ANNEGRET was designed to combine substantial cargo-handling capability with relatively high transit speed, allowing specialised project cargo to be moved efficiently between continents.

A 750 kW bow thruster further improves manoeuvrability, an important consideration for a large vessel carrying heavy and potentially high-value cargo. (sal-heavylift.com)

ANNEGRET and SAL Heavy Lift

ANNEGRET's history is closely associated with SAL Heavy Lift, the German specialist heavy-lift operator based in Hamburg.

SAL has a long association with the J.J. Sietas shipyard, and a number of its heavy-lift vessels were specifically developed and constructed by Sietas. The Type 161 family represents one stage in that evolution, preceding progressively larger and more powerful heavy-lift designs. (Wikipedia)

SAL's fleet documentation identifies ANNEGRET as a Type 161A Heavy Lift Vessel, together with GRIETJE, PAULA and WIEBKE. The four ships share essentially the same basic dimensions and cargo-handling philosophy. (sal-heavylift.com)

The present SAL organisation forms part of the wider Harren Group, while SAL continues to operate a specialised heavy-lift fleet. The company's current fleet information still identifies ANNEGRET as a Type 161A vessel with two 320-tonne cranes and one 200-tonne crane, demonstrating the enduring relevance of the design more than two decades after construction. (sal.global)

A Vessel Designed Around Logistics

One of the most interesting aspects of ANNEGRET is that her importance is not primarily determined by her gross tonnage.

At 8,397 GT, she is relatively modest when compared with the huge bulk carriers, container ships and tankers regularly encountered in major ports. Her significance instead comes from the nature of the cargoes she can transport and manipulate.

This is an important distinction in maritime observation.

A vessel's dimensions tell only part of the story. The combination of cranes, deck strength, hold dimensions, stability characteristics and cargo-handling procedures determines what that ship can actually accomplish.

ANNEGRET is consequently better understood as a mobile heavy-lift logistics system than simply as a cargo ship.

Her cranes, for example, convert the vessel from a passive transportation platform into an active cargo-handling facility. This capability can be decisive when a project involves remote ports, industrial construction sites or terminals without sufficient lifting infrastructure.

ANNEGRET in Maritime Observation

From the perspective of the Vernon Chalmers Photography Maritime Studies project, ANNEGRET is particularly valuable because she illustrates the diversity hidden within the broad category of "cargo ships."

At first glance, the vessel's silhouette may appear relatively conventional: a long hull, forward cargo area, substantial superstructure and deck machinery. Closer observation, however, reveals the visual language of the heavy-lift vessel.

The cranes are the most obvious clue.

Their size, positioning and configuration immediately distinguish ANNEGRET from an ordinary bulk carrier. The relatively large open deck, compact superstructure and substantial cargo-working arrangements further indicate that the vessel was designed around project cargo rather than mass commodity transportation.

For the photographer, this makes ANNEGRET a particularly interesting subject. Her cranes provide strong vertical and diagonal structural elements, while the relationship between the vessel's long hull and relatively compact superstructure produces a distinctive maritime profile.

A 21st-Century Perspective on a 2000-Built Vessel

ANNEGRET also illustrates an important characteristic of commercial shipping: specialised vessels can remain operationally relevant for decades when their original design continues to satisfy a market requirement.

Completed in 2000, she is now more than 26 years old. Yet the Type 161A configuration remains sufficiently useful for the vessel to continue appearing in international heavy-lift and project-cargo operations.

Recent AIS records have placed ANNEGRET in international service, including movements through major ports and ocean passages. Vessel-tracking records also continue to identify her as a general-cargo/heavy-lift vessel under the Antigua and Barbuda flag. (myShipTracking)

Her longevity is therefore not simply a matter of age. It reflects the continuing requirement for vessels capable of transporting large, heavy and irregularly shaped cargoes.

Conclusion

ANNEGRET (IMO 9147710) is a fine example of the specialised engineering that exists behind the apparently simple category of "cargo ship."

Built by J.J. Sietas in Germany and completed in 2000, the 151.67-metre Type 161A vessel combines approximately 9,360 tonnes of deadweight capacity with a large cargo hold, more than 2,300 square metres of free deck space and a sophisticated heavy-lift system comprising two 320-tonne cranes and one 200-tonne crane. Her two principal cranes can work together to lift loads of up to approximately 640 tonnes. (sal-heavylift.com)

These characteristics make ANNEGRET less a conventional freighter than a specialised maritime logistics platform.

For maritime observers and photographers, she provides a useful reminder that commercial shipping is not defined solely by the enormous container ships, tankers and bulk carriers that dominate the visual landscape of major ports. Behind those familiar categories exists a much broader world of specialised vessels designed for particular engineering and logistical problems.

ANNEGRET belongs to that world.

Her combination of German shipbuilding heritage, SAL Heavy Lift engineering and substantial onboard lifting capability makes her a particularly interesting vessel to document within a broader maritime photography and observational archive.

Photographic Equipment

Camera: Canon EOS R6 Mark III

Lens: Canon RF 800mm f/11 IS STM Lens

Photographic Genre: Maritime Photography / Ship Spotting

Location: Table Bay, Cape Town, South Africa

References

Harren Group. (n.d.). Heavy lift vessels: High-capacity fleet—ANNEGRET. SAL Heavy Lift. (sal.global)

SAL Heavy Lift GmbH & Co. KG. (2022). Fleet list. SAL Heavy Lift. (sal-heavylift.com)

SAL Heavy Lift GmbH & Co. KG. (n.d.). Ship's particulars: Type 161A. SAL Heavy Lift. (sal-heavylift.com)

Schiffsspotter.de. (2025). Schwerlastfrachter Annegret. (schiffsspotter.de)

VesselFinder. (2026). ANNEGRET, general cargo ship—IMO 9147710. (VesselFinder)

Port of Hamburg. (n.d.). Annegret—IMO 9147710. Hamburg Port Authority. (hafen-hamburg.de)

Royal Institution of Naval Architects. (2008). Marine heavy transport & lift II: MPV Annegret. (scribd.com)

ShipSpotting. (2019). ANNEGRET—IMO 9147710. (shipspotting.com)