NORTH ATLANTIC RO-ROS READY FOR METHANOL

Designed in co-operation with Danish consultancy Knud E.Hansen, the trailerships are due to be phased into duty in 2026 on the route network encompassing the Faroes, Iceland, Denmark, Lithuania and the Netherlands. The shipbuilding contractor is Yantai CIMC Raffles, whose drive into the ro-ro segment has recently been highlighted by production of 7,000 CEU-capacity PCTC tonnage.

Each 190m newbuild will be laid out for 3,300 lane-metres of ro-ro cargo, and will incorporate levels of robustness, seakindliness and reliability that befits the rigours of year-round service in the north east Atlantic, together with the requisite advances in environmentally-considerate engineering. All cargo transference will be by way of a maximum-width stern ramp.

“We have been operating routes in the North Atlantic since 1982,” said Smyril Line’s CEO Jens Meinhard Rasmussen. “This is not just one of the world’s longest ro-ro and ro-pax ferry routes, but probably also one with the most challenging sailing conditions. We know from experience that sailing on our route places great demands on both ship and crew, and we have therefore designed the ships with this in mind.”

The new vessels signify a large increase in unit cargo capacity and a major progression in efficiency per transported ton, of at least 60%, relative to the current ships.

The investment and its technological composition reflects the company’s energy transition strategy towards the 2050 net zero emission goal. The single-screw design’s preparation for operation on e-methanol is central to that objective, while the ships will also incorporate a battery pack for peak-shaving and provision for alongside hook-up to shore power. Smyril considers e-methanol as the best future choice for ‘green’ energy.

The owned fleet was augmented last month by the 1999-built, 154m ro-ro freight ship Seaguard, purchased from Finnish company Bore, and introduced to service between Torshavn (Faroes), Porlakshofn (Iceland) and Hirtshals (Denmark) under the name Glyvurnes. The acquisition replaced a timechartered vessel.

Smyril has four other ro-ro freight carriers plus the 37,000gt ro-pax Norrona.