POWERING LARGE CONTAINER SHIPS

The international magazine for senior marine engineers

EDITORIAL & CONTENT

Editor: Nick Edstrom editor@mercatormedia.com

Correspondents

Please contact our correspondents at editor@motorship.com

Bill Thomson, David Tinsley, Wendy Laursen

SALES & MARKETING

Brand manager: Sue Stevens sstevens@mercatormedia.com Tel: +44 1329 825335

Even as far back as April 1973 the container shipping industry was looking towards larger and more powerful vessels. However, back then ‘larger’ was equivalent to 3000 TEU, around one-eighth of the capacity of today’s largest.

In today’s fuel-saving environment, the need for such a vessel to travel at 35 knots seems strange. But that was the vision in Japan in 1973. Today’s leviathans make do with a mere 80,000 bhp but then, the power requirement was set at around 240,000 bhp. That such power should be provided by medium-speed four-stroke diesels makes it sound even more incredible. The power unit of choice was to be Mitsui’s 60X engine, rated at 1500 bhp/cylinder at 370 rpm. Around 160 cylinders would thus be needed, and Mitsui planned for these to be arranged in a quadruple-screw configuration, with three engines per propeller. The logic behind this seemingly strange choice would seem to be that a fuel consumption of 980t/day was envisaged. Compared with steam turbines of similar power needing 1200t/day, it sort of makes sense.

Container ships had, by 1973, established themselves in the industry and we were gearing up for another expansion of ship types, thanks to the burgeoning offshore oil and gas fields, which demanded a new type of service and supply vessel. The initial fishing boat conversions were being supplanted by purpose-built ships for platform supply and anchor handling/towing duties. Typical was a recent North Sea contract for six 60m long 1050 dwt vessels of a type which would later become known as AHTS ships. Four were to be built by Appledore, and two by Richards. They would be equipped with two Allen diesels of 2800 bhp each, driving FP propellers in Kort nozzles, giving a 14.5 knot service speed and bollard pull of 78t. The development of specialised ships continued, with the introduction of the largest-yet all-refrigerated ships, the Queen class bult by Aalborg for Israeli group Maritime Fruit Carriers. With 576,700ft3 (16,330m3) capacity spread across five refrigerated holds, the four Queen ships would join the company’s then 35-strong fleet in worldwide shipping mainly of citrus fruit and bananas. The first Queen ship, Chrysantema, had glass-wool insulated cargo spaces, helping to keep temperatures down to -31 degree C. These were cooled by a Stal ductless system, with four Stal screw-type compressors using Freon 22 refrigerant. The cooling system was designed with a high level of automation, a philosophy which was extended to the ship’s machinery, with a 23,200 bhp B&W 9K84EF main engine and four B&W 8T23HH-powered gensets with total output of 3340 kVA. A final novelty was that Chrysantema, forming the main ship description in the April 1973 issue, merited several colour pictures, the first departure from monochrome printing in our editorial pages.

A special feature was devoted to what -even after coverage of container and offshore vessels - was described as “today’s growth transport industry” – namely the European roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) sector. Despite the growth in containerisation, the short sea industry was benefiting from the trend to send goods in road trailers, avoiding the need for offloading and transhipment. Avoidance of the problem of returning empty containers was a contributing factor, while Britain and Ireland having recently joined the European Economic Community was giving another extra impetus.

Typical of this breed of vessels was the ‘Free Enterprise’ fleet, operated on the English Channel by Townsend Thoresen. The latest, built by Dutch yard IHC, Free Enterprise VII, powered by three Stork-Werkspoor 4550 bhp engines, was to go on to be ‘jumboised’ and operated under many owners until sunk in 2015.

Production David Blake, Paul Dunnington production@mercatormedia.com

EXECUTIVE

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