On December 3rd, SWS held a ceremony with EASTERN PACIFIC SHIPPING（EPS）for signing the world's first 2+3 20.9 DWT dual-fuel Newcastle Bulk Carrier newbuild contract. Dual-fuel bulk carrier is one of the development directions of clean and low-carbon technology vessel, representing the latest development trend in the area of shipbuilding. The signing of the contract further consolidated the leading position of the design and construction of the bulk carrier and wrote a new chapter of the main products of SWS.
As one of the largest private shipping companies in the world, EPS is a large bulk carrier and oil tanker owner that manages a fleet of 129 vessels. With mature and rich experience of supervision and operation in the area of dual-fuel vessels, EPS pioneers the use of dual-fuel technology for container ships, oil tankers, bulk carriers, and other ship types. It also has a professional management team with qualified technology which ensured the operation of actual dual-fuel ships.
The ordered dual-fuel Newcastle bulk carrier is self-developed by SWS. SWS pays high attention to the development of the new ship type, closely tracks the new trends and new technology development, and launched the research and development of this ship type in 2012. The development of this vessel type is based on extensive experience in past 4 generations of Newcastle bulk carriers and the latest technology in the shipbuilding industry. In the process of R&D, the R&D and business teams of SWS kept communication with potential customers at home and abroad, learned suggestions and experiences, optimized designs. The ship design has been approved in principle by several classification societies successively.
The vessel is about 299.88 meters long, 50 meters wide, 25.20 meters deep, has a designed draft of 18.40 meters, a structural draft of 18.55 meters and a service speed of 14 knots. The form of LNG fuel storage tank is optimized to cater to liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel special performance, such as low temperature, low flash point combining route operation. The high/low-pressure air supply system was installed based on the research on the number, size, layout and support of the LNG fuel tank, meeting the requirements of the IGF Code. At the same time, the ship's emissions meet the latest environmental requirements of NOX Tier III and SOX 2020 and meet the 2025 EEDI phase III requirements. This project is the first cooperation between EPS and SWS. It only took 3 days for both sides to reach an agreement on all technical details and commercial terms, which fully reflects the recognition of professional technical and commercial team of SWS by the owner with rich experience in dual-fuel ship supervision and operation management.
On December 4th, one day after the opening of Marintec China 2019, the "Energy Efficient", a 180K DWT dual fuel Capesize bulk carrier and another 300K DWT very large crude carrier (VLCC) with the energy conservation and environmental protection technology, showed their first appearance and raised widespread concern and discussion.
At the exhibition, Lloyds Register of Shipping (LR) issued the Approval in principle(AiP) for SWS 180K DWT dual-fuel Capesize bulk carriers. LR and American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) issued the AiP for SWS 300K DWT dual-fuel VLCC. Till that time, the official launch of two new ships provided SWS with conditions to accept orders, which marks that SWS has reached a new level in terms of innovation in research and development of ship type, and has made a significant contribution to the Marintec China 2019.
Conforming to the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) strict limitation on Sulfur emissions, many shipping companies are keen to adopt green technologies to follow new environmental regulations, and LNG as an alternative fuel for ships is increasingly becoming the preferred option.
The Chinese shipbuilding enterprise has successfully applied the multiple latest energy-saving and eco-friendly technologies on 180K DWT ships, which showed the pioneering and symbolic development of the shipbuilding industry.
SWS rides on the trend of the shipbuilding industry, adheres to the design principle of "green, environmental protection, safety and economy", and based on international vision, professional research and development, and standard management, finally developed two new energy-saving and eco-friendly ship types that are expected to lead the market.
The innovation-driven technologies lead to spectacular results of shipbuilding. The 180K DWT dual-fuel bulk carrier fully meets the IGF requirement, equips the full-width stern deck and two type-C LNG fuel tanks, and avoids any impact on the main scale of the ship and the integrity of the hull structure. The ship equipped with dual-fuel main engine, auxiliary engine, and combination boiler that could completely eliminate the problems of particulate matter and sulfur oxide emission when running in the gaseous fuel mode. The nitrogen oxide emissions meet the requirements of the IMO Tier III and energy efficiency design index (EEDI) stage III, and the performance indicators are internationally advanced. The capacity of LNG tanks providing the ship with strong endurance that can meet the needs of the full voyage from China to Australia (two round-trip journeys) or the full voyage from China to Brazil (one round-trip journey) without the midway supplement of LNG. Innovative accommodation arrangement ensures the same cargo load and comfort as traditional Capesize bulk carriers. The mobile Anemoi Flettner rotary air duct system is installed on the ship, and its mobile design can avoid the impact on bulk cargo handling operations, ensures the convenience of port operations.
The 300K DWT dual-fuel VLCC also fully meets the requirements of the IGF regulation. The ship is equipped with dual-fuel main engine and auxiliary engine, which can directly meet the emission requirements of the EEDI phase III; Two c-type LNG fuel tanks are installed on cargo hold area of the main deck. This particular design ensures the barely similar cargo loading capacity compared with traditional VLCC, the impact of the design scheme on the overall layout is minimized. The capacity of the LNG bunker is sufficient for a full voyage (a round trip) from the Middle East to the Far East without the midway supplement of the LNG. Its various technical indicators reaches the world’s leading level through linear optimization, main engine optimization, structural optimization, as well as the use of energy-saving equipment, vibration and noise reduction technology. The ship is also equipped with a Norsepower stationary Flettner rotary duct system.
The two types of ships are innovatively equipped with a Flettner energy-saving rotary air duct device, which can directly convert wind energy into auxiliary propulsion force during sea voyage and reduce the energy consumption of the main propulsion system. In addition, the Silverstream air lubrication system, paddle cap fin, and other energy-saving devices are installed. The air lubrication system can jet air to the bottom surface of the ship, forming micro-bubbles between the hull surface and the seawater, reducing the friction resistance between the bottom surface and seawater, thus improving fuel efficiency. The operation of cap fin can save energy through lessening the hub vortex energy loss of the propeller.
Based on the calculation of different navigation routes, 180K DWT dual-fuel bulk carriers and 300K DWT dual-fuel VLCC can achieve an annual comprehensive energy saving of 8%~13% and 8%~12% respectively, with significant effects of energy-saving and emission reduction.
As a leader in the construction of merchant vessels in China, SWS has been devoting itself to the independent development and upgrading of merchant vessels for a long time and has completed the independent development and design of a total of 39 types of vessels such as bulk carriers, tankers, container ships and gas carriers. Among them, the development of the 3 types of brand bulk carriers has gone through updating of 11 generations in total; subdivided types of tankers have been updated for 12 generations, forming a unique design and research system with market competitiveness.
Bulk carriers and VLCC are featured products of SWS. Capesize bulk carriers, Newcastle bulk carriers, and VLOC which built by SWS occupies a 16% share of the world fleet. Consequently, SWS’s bulk carrier brand has become a well-deserved market leader, technology leader, price makers and also the market freight pricing base form. With the most domestic construction and the largest international market share, SWS’s bulk carrier has become the "the first brand" of Chinese exported ship.
SWS-tanker covers Aframax, Suezmax, and VLCC. It is the pricing player in the series and its market share has increased from 5% to 9%. The Aframax tanker and VLCC have won the honor of "China Famous Brand Product" and "World Excellent Ship of the Year" respectively.
SWS will adhere to the concept of green and environmental protection; make conscious efforts to shoulder the sacred responsibility of protecting the environment, ocean, and planet; design and build more advanced, energy-saving and environmental-friendly types of ships based on innovation in science and technology, mechanism and management; bear the responsibility as a central SOE to contribute wisdom and strength to cope with environmental pollution, global warming, and other challenges.
