Japanese Produce Wide-Body Kamsarmax

Through its shipyards in Japan, the Philippines and China, Tsuneishi is the market-leading producer of Kamsarmax tonnage, having delivered a total of more than 300 such vessels to date. The new, beamier model retains the versatility of the standard type, which is of the order of 82,500dwt in its latest iteration, but with some 6,400dwt more deadweight and a gain of about 5,300m³ in hold volume.

For the Wide Kamsarmax, the 229m length of the generic Kamsarmax has been retained, representing the maximum for the West African port of Kamsar, in Guinea, a major outlet for the bauxite trade, while the breadth has been increased to 36m from the 32.2m of the standard type. The expansion of the Panama Canal, entailing the construction of larger locks, has facilitated the design development.

The seven-hold configuration in the wide-body version confers an underdeck volume of some 103,500m³, and provides for a very wide range of bulk commodities besides bauxite, including iron ore , coal, grain and fertilisers. The advance in cubic intake is especially salient to scope for low-density cargoes, such as grain and other agricultural produce. The builder claims that the wider beam does not penalise trading scope at large, since it still allows entry to approximately 90% of the ports that have been called at to date by the existing Kamsarmax population.

Compared to the regular Kamsarmax, fuel consumption per ton-mile is improved by approximately 5%, through the extra scale economy of the design and its application of the proprietary energy saving device known as MT-FAST. This consists of multiple fins on the aftship bulb, which adjust and maximise water flow to the propeller.

The primary power installation is a six-cylinder engine of the S60ME-C10.5 type manufactured by Mitsui E&S Machinery at Tamano under licence from MAN Energy Solutions. The plant was specified at an output of 9,000kW at 84rpm, indicating the R4 rating of a two-stroke design that is attributed with a nominal maximum continuous rating of 14,940kW at 105rpm.

The main machinery complies with Tier III NOx requirements by way of exhaust gas recirculation(EGR) using bypass matching. Furthermore, the ship’s ClassNK notations confirm that the auxiliaries meet Tier III criteria through the adoption of selective catalytic reduction(SCR).

Persistence Diva is registered in Liberia with KTM Corporation, but Japanese beneficial ownership is indicated by the ship’s assignment to the Osaka-based management company Santoku Senpaku. Leading Japanese operators and trading houses are Santoku Senpaku’s main clients and its fleet includes two 82,540dwt standard Kamsarmax carriers, Honor Diva and Longevity Diva, completed in 2021 by Tsuneishi Heavy Industries (Cebu) of the Philippines.

Tsuneishi handed over its first Kamsarmax in 2005. Compared to the then standard 76,000dwt Panamax bulker, the length was increased by 4m to 229m so as maximise access and loadings out of Kamsar, while conventional Panamax beam was retained. The result was an increase in transportation efficiency. Through the life of the series, design progression has been such that the fuel consumption per ton-mile of the latest newbuilds is calculated to be around 30% less than that of the 2005-built ship.

The Wide Kamsarmax initiative exemplifies Japanese builders’ focus on the continual refinement of designs crafted for series production, applied across the bulkship spectrum, securing improvements in ship efficiency and performance at minimal or otherwise competitive price premium.

Tsuneishi’s competitive edge in the sector has been sharpened over the years through development and control of yards in lower wage cost countries, complementing the retention of domestic shipbuilding capability. Although the subsidiary Tadotsu shipyard was sold off seven years ago, Tsuneishi has recently added to its asset base in Japan by raising its stake in Mitsui E&S Shipbuilding (MES-S) to 66%. The group is now the largest shareholder in MES-S.

MAIN PARTICULARS – Persistence Diva