Containerships Ltd Oy, GNS Shipping/Nordic Hamburg, and ARKON Shipping are pleased to announce that they have ordered 2 two-plus-two, dual-fuel engine-technology container ships.
Containerships will be chartering the ships over the long term, the owner and technical manager will be GNS Shipping/Nordic Hamburg, while Arkon will be the commercial manager and the charter broker.
The ships, both of which will be delivered in the course of 2016, will use liquefied natural gas (LNG) but will also be able to burn conventional marine diesel oil/heavy fuel—hence the “dual-fuel engine-technology” label. The new container ships will offer efficient and environmentally friendly option for transporting containers by sea, and will not just meet but exceed environmental standards in the Sulphur Emission Control Area (SECA) in which Containerships operates.
According to a recent survey, most shipping lines operating in the SECA area will use gas oil when the SECA regulations come into force, but industry studies indicate that, in view of the significantly higher cost of fuel oil, over time investments in LNG technology or Scrubber technology will predominate. Containerships’ strategy is to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to environmental regulations, and to be a pioneer in eco-friendly shipping while continuing to offer its customers the best value for money.
The new ships will offer the highest flexibility for 45-foot units among container ships operating in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. Each ship will accommodate up to 639 units of 45-foot containers and have a total capacity of 1,400 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). They will also be able to accommodate up to 300 refrigerated containers. Not only the main engine but also the generators will use dual-fuel technology, thus allowing for an eco-friendly way to generate the electricity needed to run the ships and the above-mentioned refrigerated containers, for instance.
The CEO of Containerships, Kari-Pekka Laaksonen, notes that the decision to invest in the dual-fuel engine technology is fully in line with the company’s long-term strategy: “We are a short-sea operator that is in it for the long haul—and these state-of-the art ships are just one part of our long-term strategy. In addition to offering the most ecologically sustainable solution, the intake capacity of these ships will allow us to keep meeting growing customer demand. And we’re confident that both of our partners on this project have the know-how and the experience to deliver.”
The Managing Director of GNS Shipping and Nordic Hamburg, Dr. Rowil Ponta, adds: “It is our investment strategy to focus on modern, economical and environmentally friendly ships and cooperate with experienced charterers to develop our new building projects. These ships will be the new benchmark for the European feeder trades in terms of environmental and economical efficiency.”
ARKON Shipping’s Ole Gabs notes: “Every crisis creates opportunities. Today, after 100 years of using IFO fuel as the main product for running ship engines, and with the upcoming introduction of new SECA regulations, we are facing a paradigm shift. Energy-efficient, eco-friendly ships are the future of shipping. We are delighted, and proud, to be co-initiators of one of the first LNG container-ship projects in Europe together with two strong partners.
We are confident that this project is the right step at the right time. It has been developed in consultation with SMB Naval Architects, under the stewardship of Hans Karel Stam, with whom we have developed other ships in the past.”
Source: Containerships Group
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