Unlike the colossal supertankers and 400-metre container giants that sail between the world’s largest ports, feeder vessels rarely attract much media attention. Wartsila says that without these small, vital carriers to link it all together, global shipping would soon come to a complete standstill.
Out of a total of the approximately 52,000 vessels that currently make up the world merchant fleet, just over 3,000 are feeder vessels. Together, these ships – which represent just over 5% of the global fleet – provide the crucial link between the giant “mother” vessels and container hubs and most small- and medium-sized ports.
Feeders collect shipping containers from the world’s largest container terminals, from where they “feed” all the smaller ports dotted around the globe. Whereas the world’s largest container vessels can carry between 14,000 and 19,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU), feeder vessels are defined as seagoing vessels with capacities ranging from 100 to 3,999 TEU. In addition to shipping freight to and from giant ports such as Rotterdam and Bremerhaven, feeders also carry containers between smaller ports, such as those on the North-West European seaboard and around the Baltic Sea.
Jacob Høgh Thygesen, Director Merchant Solutions, Wärtsilä Ship Design, describes feeder vessels as the crucial “small pieces in the massive global puzzle”.
“Today, 90% of all merchandised transport takes place by sea,” he says. “We see huge potential in the merchant segment, which is the backbone of all seaborne trade. There are more units on the water and, given the fast-changing regulatory environment, we expect to see a growing need for new ships in the coming years.”
Environmental legislation is the key factor currently impacting the marine segment. While ships were traditionally powered by Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO), which produces high levels of harmful pollutants, including sulphur dioxide (SOx), international law now states that shipping fuel can contain no more than 3.5% sulphur. Further, the limit in Emission Control Areas (ECAs) or Sulphur Emission Control Areas (SECAs), which currently include coastal areas such as the Baltic Sea, North Sea and the waters surrounding North America and the Caribbean, is 0.1%.
LNG is the future
LNG is one of the only fuel sources able to comply with these strict limits and, with the majority of feeder vessels operating in coastal areas, Thygesen says the need for LNG-compliant solutions is set to become a must for operators in the very near future.
“LNG vessels are coming; there’s no way around it,” he says. “I’m convinced that vessel owners who miss this boat – so to speak – will ultimately be bypassed in the market. I think that’s a given at this point.”
“Feeders are the ships going into the Baltic Sea, as well as travelling along the northern and western coasts of Europe, into the coastal waters of the United States and in the Intra-Asian trade lanes. The feeder fleet is the obvious candidate to lead the way to a dual-fuel future.”
Four new vessel designs
Wärtsilä launched four new container feeder vessel designs at this year’s Nor-Shipping exhibition. Their innovative designs seek to achieve optimal fuel efficiency, as well as compliancy with current and future environmental regulations.
“Fuel flexibility is key to our latest designs, along with fuel efficiency, optimised cargo capacity and the lowest possible emission levels,” says Thygesen.
All four new vessel designs are available in three versions: the “conventional” version runs on HFO, while the “environmental” version also uses HFO but is fitted with scrubbers. Finally, the “clean” version is a fully LNG-compliant, dual-fuel vessel.
According to Clarksons’ latest Shipbuilding Forecast Club, there is every reason to believe that the global fleet will continue to grow in the coming years, with a 4% year-on-year capacity increase predicted between 2022 and 2026. However, the question remains as to what kinds of ships owners will decide to invest in.
Thygesen believes that compliance and profitability are the top two concerns for most vessel operators looking to invest in new ships these days.
“The first question is when to make the transition to the new designs. Many operators can still get away with using conventional designs but, as governments and authorities continue to push the regulatory agenda, they will have to consider a design change relatively soon,” he says, adding that this issue is even more pressing for operators looking at the long-term residual value of their vessels.
Source & Image Credit: Wartsila
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