Dalian Shipbuilding designs reduced ballast tankers

The ‘Clear Advantage’ designs are ready to build and need 40% less ballast water than tankers of a similar size. The parties noted that a VLCC unloading cargo in a Chinese port can take up to 1,000 tonnes of mud or silt into its ballast water tanks, causing a significant operational hazard.

Lloyd’s Register noted that the design addressed that lost cargo capacity and economic drain caused by the carrying of silt, as well as the expense of eventually removing the deposits from the tanks. The ‘Clear Advantage’ design is available for VLCC, Aframax and Suezmax vessels.

Yu Fengping, president, DSIC said: “These new designs are not only suitable for some of China’s silt-laden water ports, but can significantly reduce energy consumption while in ballast condition… to bring competitive advantage to owners.”

Other benefits in reducing the amount of ballast water required for tanker operations include reduced energy consumption during ballast voyages and reduced requirements for ballast water treatment capacity and associated energy, cost and time demands.