New Panamax tanker design from HZC

Hitachi Zosen (HZC) has unveiled a new Panamax tanker design. It enables a cargo of 510,000 bbls to be crammed into 12 tanks. The 70,000 dwt double hull tanker is 219m long and has a maximum Panamax beam of 32.2m. The new design achieves flexible cargo handling through double valve segregation of the cargo oil piping system for three different grades of oil products. Two types of cargo oil pumps ? steam and electric motor driven ? facilitate the cargo handling operation. The HZC Panamax tanker has been the subject of sophisticated structural design including fatigue analysis. Use of high tensile steel materials is limited to selected parts of the hull while mild steel is used for the large portion of the hull. The yard claims this enhances the steel corrosion allowance and fatigue strength of the hull structure. The design?s standard propulsive power is provided by a Hitachi built MAN B&W 7S50MC diesel engine.