Conversion and retrofitting – increase efficiency and extend lifetime
The increasing speed at which parameters are changing requires decisions from ship owners and shipping companies.
Just a few examples:
New and stricter environmental rules,
e.g. establishment of ECA zones
Changes in demand,
e.g. increased demand for specialised ships
Widening of the Panama Canal
Navigability of Arctic waters
Improved port infrastructure
Automatisation of shipping operations
Propellant systems optimised for efficiency and low maintenance
To comply with the emissions regulations while navigating the North and Baltic Sea, existing units can be fitted with
scrubber systems (to remove pollutants) or dual-fuel engines. These retrofits require no, or only little, modification of
the hull structure. This is not the case when an offshore supplier is converted to a cable layer, or when a Panamax
container ship is extended to make a New Panamax. Such projects always require interventions affecting the structure
of the hull.
Whether retrofitting or conversion, TECHNOLOG’s specialists are proficient in all areas. Customers rely our experience
gathered over many years – projects large and small.
CONVERSION & RETROFIT
Modification – Extension – Modernisation
“
Quelle: NSB Reederei
CONVERSION - example – WIDENING
Flexible adaptation to new possibilities
26th June 2016 – the widened Panama Canal
is opened. From this day on, the old
Panamax-class ships are less able to
compete with the wider ships that are now
able to pass through the most important
waterway in the world. Is it always necessary
to commission a newbuild in order to stay
competitive on this route? This is what
shipping company NSB in Buxtehude (Germany) asked themselves three years before the event. Working together
with TECHNOLOG, the concept for the first ever widening of a Panamax container ship was drawn up. In 2014, the
MSC GENEVA was converted at the HRDD shipyard in Shanghai. In June 2015, the handover took place. From concept
design to handover, TECHNOLOG accompanied this ground-breaking project at every stage. Whether looking at the
numbers, or the pictures of the conversion, the result is very impressive.
Length overall
275.0 m
283.0 m
+ 8.0 m
Breadth
32.2 m
39.8 m
+ 6,6 m = 3 additional container rows
Draught
13.5 m
13.5 m
0,0 m
unchanged
Load capacity
65,700 t
81,700 t
+ 24 %
Nominal capacity
4,892 TEU 6,175 TEU
+ 26 %
Loading capacity 14t/TEU
3,109 TEU
4,901 TEU
+ 58 %
Consumption / TEU per nautical
4.6 g
3.7 g
- 24 %
mile at 19kn average speed
before after
TECHNOLOG Services GmbH
Vorsetzen 50
20459 Hamburg
Germany
+49(0) 40 . 70 70 76-800
info@technolog.biz
http://www.technolog.biz
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REEDEREI NSB: successful widening of the MSC GENEVA in China
REEDEREI NSB’S FIRST INNOVATIVE WIDENING SUCCESSFULLY CARRIED OUT IN DOCK
Under current market conditions, Panamax-class ships are often no longer able to compete. To continue
running these units profitably, the REEDEREI NSB created and successfully carried out a unique widening
concept. They were able to increase the TEU capacity by more than 20% and achieve an IMO Energy
Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) comparable to that of newbuilds. As a result, the container shipping
company has received a ship that can transport a greater load and boasts greater stability, without any
increase in running costs. The first of three ships, the MSC GENEVA was widened at the HRDD shipyard in
China. The ship was undocked on 20th April and moved to the shipyard’s fitting pier for completion.
Against the backdrop of the shipping market’s extreme dynamism, WIDENING expands shipping
companies’ and investors’ room for manoeuvre: not only are they able to repurpose ships from their existing
fleet, but they can now buy used ships with a view to widening them – which is cheaper and significantly
quicker than ordering a newbuild. WIDENING offers a great deal of flexibility because, depending on the
ship, between two and four container rows can be added. In the case of the MSC GENEVA, the loading
capacity was increased massively from 4,860 TEU to more than 6,300 TEU. Alongside the technical
realisation, REEDEREI NSB is also offering project-management support in a WIDENING project.
The idea of widening Panmax container ships originates from REEDEREI NSB in summer 2013. Together with
the engineering practice TECHNOLOG, the technical and economic feasibility was studied unter the
directorship of then CTO Lutz Müller, CEO Helmut Ponath and Senior Executive Advisor Bozidar Petrovic: “It
quickly became clear to us that we had an exceptional concept,” says Lutz Müller. “Our innovative
procedure boils down to cutting the ship in areas of low stress, and increasing not only the maximum load
capacity but also the transverse stability through widening. Additionally, we also see benefits for
sustainability, which is gaining ever more importance in shipping. The CO2 per TEU is significantly reduced,
and a conversion avoids a potential scrapping, leading to less environmental damage than a newbuild.”
For the conversion of the first ship, REEDEREI NSB estimates a timeframe of around four months. Thanks to
their experience and know-how resulting from this pilot project, subsequent widenings are expected to
take even less time. After the MSC GENEVA, the BUXHAI and the MSC CAROUGE will be making their way to
the HRDD docks. “Our target for further widenings are ships in the Panmax class that were delivered post-
2005. Here we see a huge market potential. Based on enquiries received in past months, we see that our
specialist knowledge resulting from the project is very much in demand,” explains Bozidar Petrovic, who
oversaw the first WIDENING on location at HRDD.
With the widening of the first ship, REEDEREI NSB has strengthened its reputation as an innovation and
forward-thinking shipping company. The WIDENING can be seen as a new milestone within the
comprehensive retrofitting portfolio, helping to make vessels fit for the future. The service is available to
other shipping companies and ship managers via the subsidiary, NSB Marine Solutions.
Source: schiffsjournal • 23rd April 2015 • ww.schiffsjournal.de