[140912.EN.SEA] APL Orders Ten 13,800-TEUers With Hulls Delivering 20pc Less Fuel Burn

SINGAPORE's APL is to launch 10 new 13,800-TEU vessels with a new hull design which computer models say provides 20 per cent more fuel-savings per TEU.

The design optimises the hull for nine different combinations of speed and draught which will equate to annual savings per vessel of US$3 million on their Asia- Europe services, said the company, the container shipping arm of Neptune Orient Lines (NOL).

"These ships will be the most fuel-efficient ships ever built for the Asia-Europe container trade," said NOL president and CFO Cedric Foo.

In partnership with Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) and Det Norske Veritas (DNV) APL has created a vessel that will typically operate at between 15 and 19.5 knots (the speed of slow and super-slow steaming) with a maximum of about 23 knots.

Korean shipbuilding Hyundai Heavy Industries said the design was created on a tight schedule allowing for the first of the ships being built by 2013. It boasts a 16 per cent lower propulsive power due to the hull's design.

Vancouver's Ship & Bunker reported that the president of DNV Maritime and Oil & Gas Tor Svensen said the hull design is ahead of its time. "Financial and environmental performance demands more sophistication," he said.

The design follows on from Maersk Line's development of energy-efficient which are rounded rather than streamlined hulls almost two years ago which promises a reduction of 50 per cent less CO2 per TEU and 35 per cent less fuel compared to other similar capacity vessels of 13,100 TEU.

Source : HKSG.