The Ocean’s Heavyweight Champion: Inside the BOKA Vanguard

🌊⚓️ In the rarefied world of mega-engineering, few vessels inspire as much awe as the BOKA Vanguard. Purpose-built to haul the unthinkable, this semi-submersible giant is a game-changer in heavy transport, capable of lifting entire oil rigs, cruise ships, and other leviathans of industry as if they were toys.

 

Why It's Noteworthy

Record-Breaking Heavy-Lift Ship

The BOKA Vanguard is the largest semi-submersible heavy-lift ship ever constructed, capable of transporting cargoes up to 110,000 tonnes.

 

Unique Submersible Design

Its “bow-less” deck spans 275 m in length and 70 m in width, allowing it to securely load and transport oversized structures.

 

The ship floats its deck up to 16 m below the surface – cargo is floated on, and as ballast tanks are pumped out, the vessel rises, lifting the load with ease.

 

Incredible Cargo Record

One of its standout achievements: transporting six massive concrete caissons (each 60 m long and 24 m wide, weighing 15,000 t) in a single voyage to Southeast Asia.

 

Versatile Uses

The ship acts as a floating, offshore dry dock. Remember how it was employed to load and carry the 322-meter long Carnival Vista cruise ship to a shipyard for repairs? It functioned exactly like a mobile shipyard.

 

Recent Enhancements

In early 2025, the BOKA Vanguard underwent a widening refit – its beam was increased by approximately 10.3 m, expanding its cargo deck footprint and enabling it to handle even bigger project cargoes.

 

Picture: Boskalis Westminster N.V.