Business Pairing Yields Dual-Fuel Boxships

Following handover by Samsung Heavy Industries as the first in a series of 10 LNG dual-fuel containerships of 15,000TEU, the 366m ZIM Sammy Ofer took on cargo in South Korea and sailed for the USA on March 5.

The entire class has been secured under 12-year charter agreements with Seaspan, the world’s largest independent boxship owner, and will be deployed by ZIM Container Service Pacific (ZCP) in the trade lane linking China and South Korea with the US eastern seaboard and Caribbean. 

The propulsion installation is based on the widest-bore machinery in MAN Energy Solutions’ two-stroke range, in the form of an eight-cylinder model of the G95ME-C10.5 engine in its GI (gas-injected) version. This incorporates the proprietary pump vaporiser unit (PVU), referred to as a recently introduced feature when the order was placed two years ago, and one which optimises integration between engine and LNG supply system.

At its R1 top rating, the 950mm-bore dual-fuel prime mover delivers 6,870kW per cylinder at 80rpm, amounting to a nominal MCR of 54,960kW in the eight-cylinder configuration. The plant in each of the Seaspan/ZIM series has been contracted for an output of 46,000kW at 80rpm, and promises the capability for a service speed of 22.5 knots, with power conversion through an MMG fixed-pitch propeller. The nomination of ME-GI low-speed power is expected to result in the lowest methane slip practically attainable, at some 0.2%.

On the assumption that LNG usage results in at least 20% fewer greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions when compared to conventional marine fuels, ZIM contends that the adoption of LNG for the new generation is equivalent to having two of the 10 ships producing zero emissions. “Our growing LNG-powered fleet will enable ZIM to be more carbon- and cost-efficient, while improving our competitive position, particularly on the strategic Asia to US East Coast trade, and allows customers to reduce their carbon footprint,” stated company president and CEO Eli Glickman.

The substantial auxiliary outfit is also of LNG dual-fuel type, employing four gensets driven throughout by four-stroke engines from Hyundai’s HiMSEN portfolio, comprising two eight-cylinder models plus a pair of nine-cylinder units of the H35DF design. Two Kawasaki bow tunnel thrusters provide indispensable assistance in berthing manoeuvres with the high-sided ship.

As fresh testament to South Korean prominence in boxship construction and design technology, this first-ever LNG-fuelled vessel in the Zim-assigned fleet displays a twin-island configuration, a vertical bow, and lines optimised to the prospective trading profile. Such is the scope afforded now by the waterway through the Central American isthmus, that the neo-Panamax carrier embodies a beam of 51m. The payload distribution is fairly evenly divided between the holds and the weatherdeck, where the cellular lattice rises by way of lashing bridges.

Last August, ZIM signed a 10-year, US$1bn-plus agreement with Shell for the purchase and supply of LNG fuel required by the newbuild series over the life of the charter deal with Seaspan. The contract was brought into effect on March 26 through the bunkering of the ZIM Sammy Ofer while alongside at Kingston Freeport Terminal. The Jamaican interface is a new bunkering location for Shell, expanding the energy major’s global network of LNG marine outlets to 16 across 11 countries.

The second set of five vessels in the 10-ship series will have ammonia-ready, 12,000m³ LNG fuel tanks employing GTT Mark III membrane technology.

Seaspan also has 15 newbuilds of 7,800TEU committed to ZIM charters, with deliveries due to start in the latter part of 2023.

MAIN PARTICULARS – ZIM Sammy Ofer