Fels Can Do II: One of the world’s largest barges arrives at Chattogram for recycling

From a distance, it does not resemble something built to move. 

The Fels Can Do II sits off the coast of Sitakunda like a floating block of steel — broad, still, almost architectural. Only on closer inspection does its purpose begin to reveal itself; a vessel engineered not just to sail, but to sink on command, lift some of the largest structures ever placed at sea, and carry them across oceans.

Now, its journey has come to an end.

One of the world's largest semi-submersible barges, the Fels Can Do II was beached on 21 April at SN Corporation's green-certified yard in Sonaichari, Chattogram. Its arrival stands out as one of the most striking additions to Bangladesh's ship recycling sector in recent years. Importing the giant barge cost around $20 million.

Built in Singapore in 2019 under the classification of the American Bureau of Shipping, the Fels Can Do II was constructed by Keppel FELS to transport offshore drilling rigs. 

Designed to surpass the capabilities of its predecessor (Fels Can Do), it was engineered to handle some of the world's largest drilling units, with a lifting capacity of at least 65,000 tonnes. It was previously used to carry a rig to Brazil for an offshore project.

Construction took around two years, with keel laying completed in 2017, according to official sources.

Captain Anam Chowdhury, a veteran beaching pilot who handled the operation, described it as a rare asset.

"It was a purpose-built vessel used for carrying heavy machinery for offshore rigging," he said. "After serving its purpose, it became commercially unviable. From the second-hand market, it eventually came to Bangladesh."

Built to submerge

At its core, the Fels Can Do II belongs to a specialised class of vessels designed not just to float, but to submerge.

It can sink up to 33 metres below the surface, allowing massive offshore structures — rigs, drillships, even vessels weighing up to 65,000 tonnes — to be positioned above it. Once aligned, it rises again, lifting the load clear of the water.

The entire process depends on precision and careful control.

Inside the hull, 12 high-capacity ballast pumps move thousands of cubic metres of water every hour, managing balance and depth. Two pump rooms, located at the front (bow) and rear (stern) of the vessel, manage this delicate system.

On deck, six recessed sections are built to accommodate the protruding thrusters of modern drillships — a small detail that reflects how precisely the vessel was designed for offshore energy work. 

A structure defined by scale

Numbers only partly capture its size.

The barge stretches 220.8 metres in length and 79 metres in width — larger than two football fields side by side. Its light displacement, about 49,455 tonnes, places it among the heaviest structures ever brought to a Bangladeshi yard.

The design appears simple: a flat deck on a box-shaped hull. Rising from each corner, however, are four towering columns, each about 60 metres high – roughly the height of an 18-storey building.

These towers stabilise the vessel during submersion and house workspaces, safety zones and crew facilities, turning the barge into a self-contained offshore platform.

A floating power system

Unlike conventional barges, this vessel carries its own industrial-scale power supply.

Two main generators, each capable of producing around 5MW, can together supply electricity comparable to that of a small town. Supporting systems, including seawater pumps, firefighting units and transformers, mirror those found in land-based facilities.

For yard operators, that complexity translates into value.

According to SN Corporation CEO Barkat Ullah, the vessel contains a wide range of reusable components, from heavy-duty pumps to electrical systems. Its steel plates — ranging from 25mm to 108mm – are particularly sought after.

"Such thick plates are rarely available locally," he said. "These can be reused in domestic industries or even exported."

Dismantling, however, will not begin immediately. The vessel remains about 2,000 feet offshore and must be pulled into position. Cutting operations will start only after regulatory clearance.

Where global shifts meet local industry

The arrival of the Fels Can Do II is not an isolated event. It reflects a broader shift underway in the global offshore sector.

Assets built during the last energy boom are increasingly being retired, often earlier than expected, as changing economics and evolving technologies narrow their commercial viability.

For Bangladesh, those shifts translate into opportunity. The country's ship recycling industry — a global leader for much of the past decade — typically dismantles between 150 and 200 vessels a year, generating up to Tk30,000 crore in turnover. 

But the sector has been under pressure.

A global economic slowdown and stricter environmental requirements, particularly under the Hong Kong Convention, have forced yards to invest in costly upgrades. Over the past year, at least 20 yards have secured Statements of Compliance, up from just four in 2024.

Even so, vessel imports have declined for three consecutive years.

Against that backdrop, the arrival of a high-specification unit such as the Fels Can Do II carries weight beyond its size. Industry insiders see it as a sign that, despite tighter standards and shifting markets, Bangladesh remains a destination for complex, high-value maritime assets.

For now, the vessel waits offshore.

Soon, it will be pulled in, cut open and dismantled piece by piece — its steel, machinery and systems absorbed into a different industrial life. A structure once built to move giants across oceans will, in the end, be broken down quietly on a narrow strip of coast — where global industry, sooner or later, comes to rest.