Mitsubishi launches Hatsu Shine, the first of ten 7024 TEU vessels
for the Evergreen Group
Posted: 30 March 2005
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has today launched Hatsu Shine, the first in a series of ten 7024 TEU S-type container vessels that it is building for the Evergreen Group. She was named by Evergreen Group Chairman, Dr Y F Chang while Mrs Elisabeth Verschoor, the wife of Mr Jan Verschoor, Managing Director of ING Bank's Global Shipping Group, cut the ceremonial rope sending the ship down the slipway and into the water for the first time.
The Evergreen Group will take delivery of 18 post-Panamax containerships over the period 2005 to 2008, ten S-types and eight 8000 TEU C-types, allowing the Group companies to upgrade existing services and phase out older vessels.
Hatsu Shine is due to be delivered to the Evergreen Group company Hatsu Marine Ltd in September 2005 and will commence her maiden voyage to Europe shortly thereafter. Hatsu Marine currently owns seven ships, all of which fly the UK flag. Five are 6332 TEU E-class vessels that operate between the Far East and the West Coast of North America while the other pair are 1618 TEU P-class vessels currently deployed in regional Asian services within the Evergreen Group.
Hatsu Marine was established in London on 4 January, 2002. Through slot-sharing and joint service agreements with other carriers including Evergreen and Lloyd Triestino, it now offers its customers a network of services embracing Asia, North America and Europe. With the expansion of its fleet over the next few years, it will be adding to the number of services offered and expanding its capacity on existing services.
Green ships for Evergreen
The new S-type vessels are particularly noteworthy in that they incorporate many new environmental features that go well beyond the requirements of new and soon-to-be-introduced international requirements.
Dr Chang believes that all shipowners have a duty to minimise the impact of their operations on the global environment:
"We should not wait for legislation to be introduced. We should use the latest technology as soon as it is available so as to minimise the impact of container shipping operations both on marine life and on port communities."
"Although our market is price-driven and highly competitive with our customers all seeking to achieve the lowest shipping costs, we know that most of them are also very aware of the environmental issues. We can assure them that Evergreen will provide first-class services whilst maintaining the highest environmental standards."
The S-class ships incorporate a double-skinned hull and all fuel tanks have been located within the transverse bulkhead spaces thus minimising the risk of oil pollution or fire as a result of grounding or collision. A high capacity oily water separator enables the oil content of waste water to be reduced to just 15 ppm while much larger separator bilge oil and bilge oil holding tanks provide more storage capacity than normal, enabling the vessels to avoid any discharge when sailing in sensitive areas and to maximise the amount of waste that can be held for ultimate disposal in specialised shore facilities.
Similar arrangements have been made for handling sewage and so-called grey water, including water from the cargo hold bilges, when the vessels are in port or close to shore.
The main engines and generators incorporate low NOx technology while the ships are also able to switch to low sulphur fuels when sailing in restricted areas such as the Baltic Sea.
'Cold-ironing', the ability to shut down all shipboard generators while in port, switching to shore-based electricity supplies, is also a feature of the S-class vessels. So far, only the Port of Los Angeles has initiated an Alternative Maritime Power (AMP) programme that require ships to shut down their diesel generators while in port but Evergreen expects many more ports to follow LA's lead. The Group estimates that the cost of meeting AMP requirements amounts to approximately $2m per vessel.
The latest tin-free anti-fouling systems are also being used for the underwater hull coatings of the S-types and are being applied to other vessels in the Evergreen fleet when they undergo routine drydockings. These new coatings are replacing systems that, although highly efficient and widely used globally, were found to have a negative impact on marine life.
Evergreen has chosen to class those S-class vessels allocated to Hatsu with Lloyd's Register (LR) while those for operation by Evergreen Marine Corporation will be classed with the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS). It will be applying to LR for EP (environment protection) notation and to ABS for the equivalent ES (environment safety) notation.
With an overall length of 300 metres and a beam of 42.8 metres, the S-class vessel are able to carry containers 17 rows across on deck and 15 rows across below deck. They have a deadweight of 78,200 tonnes on a service draft of 14.2 metres. Each vessel has a single 10-cylinder Mitsubishi Sulzer 10RTA96C main engine developing 74,700 bhp (54,900 KW) to provide for a service speed of 25.3 knots.
The carriage of temperature-controlled containers, an increasingly important revenue source, is made possible with the provision of 839 reefer plugs.
Posted by Editor Offshore Arabia Magazine
Information supplied by companies or PR agencies who are responsible for content. Send press releases to info@reflexpublishingme.com |
