This towering presence – moored in Leith – is the Hua Yang Long: a semi-submersible heavy-lift carrier owned by Guagzhou Salvage and sailing under the flag of China.
Spurtle understands the ship is carrying components destined for the Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm (43 miles NE of Pilrig St Paul's Church), currently under construction.
Aventus Energy in the Port of Leith has a contract for completion activities including inspection and preparation of XXL monopiles (foundations) and transition pieces (between foundations and turbine towers) prior to installation at sea.
[Map data from OpenStreetMap.]
The Hua Yang Long left the port of Zhuhai (PRC) on 23 December and arrived in Leith on 24 February.
Built in 2015, she measures 228m x 43m, with a draft of 8.3m (10.3m loaded). She has a carrying capacity of 52,137 metric tonnes (equivalent to over 52 million bags of sugar) and can accommodate 50+ people including crew.
We are unreliably informed that the vessel's name means Sichuan Dragon. If any reader can confirm or correct this, we'd be grateful.
[The view from McKelvie Parade.]
[The view from East Claremont Street.]
It is interesting to learn how wind energy generated in Spurtleshire will eventually be harvested further afield and returned as electricity via Cockenzie.
We recommend the view from Lighthouse Park (see map at the foot of this page).
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