SPRUCE

The Spruce (IMO: 7734167, flag: Marshall Islands) was built in 1975 as the Flash IV (later Mammoth Spruce) by Sumitome heavy industries in Tokyo, Japan. She is a 112 meters long, 34 meters wide LASH ship. LASH, an acronym for Lighter Aboard SHip vessels each carry about 82 LASH barges. The barges, all of a standard size with cargo capacity of 385 tons, are towed in ports and on inland waterways to various shipping points where they are loaded with cargo and then returned to the oceangoing vessel. They are hoisted aboard by a special shipboard gantry-type crane and transported overseas where the process is reversed. LASH ships do not require special docks or terminals.

The Spruce is scheduled to arrive later this afternoon at the Waalhaven, Rotterdam.