BigLift Shipping has expanded its fleet with two MC-Class wide deck carriers, the 23,134gt/2016 built sisters BigLift Barentsz and BigLift Baffin. The transaction was made after BigLift Shipping ended the co-operation with RollDock for the management of the MC-Class vessels at the end of 2017.

Cosco Shipping Specialised Carriers has become the world’s largest multipurpose operator by deadweight as the company’s existing fleet of 1.76 million dwt plus a further 38,000dwt ship is on order. Having reduced its fleet by 13 to 146 ships, Germany’s BBC Chartering has been relegated to second place on the list of the ten largest multipurpose carriers. BBC Chartering’s current fleet has a total deadweight of 1.68 million tonnes and just one 13,000dwt newbuild is on order. Dutch operator Spliethoff is in the third place with a fleet of 778,000dwt plus six 108,000 dwt vessels under construction. As of early January 2018, the ten largest multipurpose/project/heavy lift vessel operators by deadweight had a fleet of 460 ships with a total deadweight of 8.14 million tonnes and an aggregate lifting capability of 147,000 tonnes.