The drive to improve operational efficiency is promoting the practice of ship widening and lengthening. The widening of containerships can make older freighters competitive in an increasingly tough market.
This time last year (July 2015) the world‘s first widened existing ship, the MSC Geneva, entered into service. This month, the Korean Register (KR) announced that they had successfully completed a feasibility study for the conversion of an 8,600 TEU containership into a 10,000 TEU vessel.
KR offered the shipping company customer two scenarios for the study. One was a traditional method, to increase the size of the vessel by lengthening the ship, while the other used a more recent approach, whereby the vessel’s breadth would be expanded, this is the process known as widening.
Using both of these methods, KR analysed the new vessels potential speed, fuel efficiency, stability and strength, the cost and time needed for conversion, the size-expandability, the new vessels maneuverability and its anchoring.
Upon examining the speed analysis, both options showed a 4% drop after conversion however, the length extension conversion was one knot faster than its width expansion counterpart. For fuel efficiency, the length extension conversion consumed 5% less than the alternative vessel.
In terms of stability and strength, the widening conversion showed improved stability, with almost no need for additional reinforcement to enhance the vessels strength. However, the lengthening scenario, the vessel stability was unaltered but it needed much more reinforcement on its deck and bottom parts to maintain its strength, because of the increased hull bending movement.
The study showed in general that the widening conversion would increase cargo carrying capacity by up to 30%, but in the lengthening scenario, capacity only increased by 15%.
One thing that the study highlighted that was of great importance was that it would take twice as long to make the changes to the widening conversion, compared to the time it would take to convert the vessel using the lengthening scenario. It also found that there would be no difference in the cost of conversion to either option, because the lengthening conversion requires more steel work.
Image and Source; MSC Geneva, Reederei NSB
Ship Efficiency Review News
To contact the reporter responsible for this article, please email editor@fathom-mi.com
