Chinese Investment In Open-Top Feeders

The contract award by Ningbo Ocean Shipping Co (NBOSCO) entails four vessels, with options on four further newbuilds. Deliveries of the initial batch are due to start in November 2024, and continue at three-month intervals.

The series will be of the Sealion D1000 type developed by Shanghai Merchant Ship Design & Research Institute (SDARI). The class is distinguished by a fully open-top configuration and by dimensioning to enable navigation on the Yangtze River as far inland as the city of Wuhan.

Adopting a three-hold, bridge-forward layout, each vessel will offer 1,058 TEU slots in stacks below and above deck, to a maximum load capacity of about 15,000t. The absence of hatch covers promotes turnaround time and also contributes to the cargo space maximisation of the hull envelope.

The profile of the Sealion D1000 will allow passage under the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge, the imposing, double-decked road/rail crossing of the arterial waterway, for subsequent progress upstream to Wuhan, generally considered the head of ocean vessel navigation, some 600 miles (965km) from the coast. The twin-engine, twin-screw propulsion layout will enhance manoeuvrability along the channels of the heavily-trafficked Yangtze.

In the context of existing feeder vessels of similar box capacity, the design yields benefits as regards transportation efficiency, loading rate and operating flexibility. Contributory features to overall energy efficiency include special propeller hub caps, aerodynamic upperworks, and provision for drawing on shore power when alongside.

The location of the superstructure at the bow ensures good sightlines from the bridge, of particular importance to a service profile in river and coastal waters, and also infers improved habitability for the crew with the accommodation distant from machinery spaces.

Headquartered at Ningbo City in Zhejiang province, NBOSCO is a unit of the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port Group, and the latest phase of fleet development is its first newbuild transaction since the company was listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange in December 2022. Industry sources have suggested that the quartet of boxships in the first tranche from Taizhou Jianxing commanded a total price of around $100m.

The project underscores China’s accelerating investment in its marine transport infrastructure, enhancing the supply chain.