New generation car carriers

The yards concerned are Shin Kurushima Dockyard Co and Japan Marine United Corporation, each of which will build two vessels, with deliveries scheduled for 2015-2016. The four ships will be notable for their wide beam, which at around 37m-38m is said to be the widest of any ship of this type. Length is being kept at about 200m, a dimension governed by some of the ports which will accommodate the new ships.

The increased width, according to Yoshiyuki Aoki, executive managing officer of “K” Line’s car carrier sector, is the result of simulation tests which suggested this beam as the optimum balance between stability and fuel efficiency. “We are adopting state of the art design in terms of top notch fuel efficiency and flexibility on cargo handling that will be far better than our existing fleet,” Mr Aoki added.

Another energy-saving measure will be ‘Caul’, a system intended to mitigate the effects of wind pressure for optimum fuel consumption. Capacity will be 7,500 units, but the cargo loading equipment is to be designed to offer capability to handle other ro-ro cargoes beside passenger cars.

“These four ships will replace existing aged tonnage. It is our estimation that the car transport market and ro-ro cargo market will steadily grow, so we will continue to develop our fleet to deliver value added efficiency and capability of handling an even wider variety of cargo mix to assure our services successfully meet the needs of our valued customers,” said Mr Aoki.