The Danish maritime group Maersk wants to bring a new type of container ships into service in just over two years. The new fleet can be powered by emission-neutral methanol. The aim is for the ships to combine greater energy efficiency with environmentally friendly performance. According to Maersk, however, in order to achieve these objectives, a completely new design had to be used.
The new ships will be able to transport 16,000 standard containers (TEU). It is expected that per transported container will improve energy efficiency by 20 percent compared to traditional concept.
South Korea
In total, Maersk has ordered eight vessels of the new type from Hyundai Heavy Industries shipyard in South Korea. The new fleet is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by approximately one million tons per year.
“This will allow us to serve customers in maritime transport large-scale emission-neutral transport can offer,” said Maersk spokespersons.
The ships will be 350 meters long and 53.5 meters wide. “The new design differs significantly from the designs that have been used for the larger container ships until now,” the analysts point out.
“The bridge and crew quarters are moved to the bow of the ship. With this intervention, a larger container capacity can be made possible.”
“The chimney, on the other hand, is located at the stern and is shifted to the side of the ship. This should also make it possible to create more space for cargo. This design will also make it easier to handle cargo in ports.”
Comfort
Maersk testifies that the new design has been worked on for almost five years. “After all, the design office had to explore a number of unknown areas of ship design,” it reads. “Therefore, when drawing up the plans, an answer had to be found to several challenges.”
“Among other things, the move of the accommodation to the bow of the ship raised various questions. After all, at that location the crew is more exposed to the impact of the ship’s movements. Therefore, adjustments had to be made to the comfort of the crew to continue to guarantee.”
“It also had to be guaranteed that the move had no impact on the strength of the hull”, the Danish shipping company argues. “After all, that block provided the necessary stiffness further at the back of the ship.”
“In addition, a new concept for the lifeboats and navigation lights had to be drawn up, while new cameras had to be installed to assist the captain during navigation.”
The new ships will be equipped with a hybrid engine, which can be powered by both methanol and conventional low-sulphur fuel. Also with methanol, the ships a full trip between Asia and Europe, among other things can make.
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