New ships to drop fuel use almost 20%
Swedish ship owner Erik Thun AB (Thun) says it is building new dry cargo ships with optimal hull shapes to provide exceptionally low fuel consumption, Ship & Bunker reports.
"We are thinking long-term and are continuously renewing our fleet to meet new environmental requirements," said spokesman Henrik Källsson.
Thun said it developed the vessels in collaboration with Dutch shipyard Ferus Smit, which has built 26 other ships for the company.
Computer simulations were said to show the new hull shapes will use up to 19.4 percent less fuel compared to the preceding design.
The new ships will also offer a payload of 5,000 tonnes, up from 4,600 in earlier models, as well as ballast cleaning systems to reduce the spread of invasive species.
The newbuildings are scheduled for delivery in fall of 2013 and will be added to the existing dry cargo fleet of 10 vessels which operates in Northern Europe and the Mediterranean.
New hull shapes are a significant area of improvement for shipbuilders because of the desire to save money on fuel and reduce emissions, according to a recent report from the Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO), which said developers are creating a "whole new generation of designs."
