‘Next generation’ short-sea ships ordered

The vessels, will use LNG but will also be able to burn conventional marine diesel oil, making Containerships Ltd the first short-sea container operator in Europe to run ships on LNG.

The company says the new vessels will offer efficient and environmentally-friendly option for transporting containers by sea, and will not just meet, but exceed environmental standards in the Sulphur Emission Control Area (SECA) in which Containerships operates.

“We are a short-sea operator that is in it for the long haul—and these state-of-the art ships are just one part of our long-term strategy,” said Kari-Pekka Laaksonen, CEO, Containerships. “In addition to offering the most ecologically sustainable solution, the intake capacity of these ships will allow us to keep meeting growing customer demand. And we’re confident that both of our partners on this project have the know-how and the experience to deliver.”

According to a recent survey, most shipping lines operating in the SECA will use gas oil when the regulations come into force, but industry studies indicate that investments in LNG technology or scrubber technology will dominate.

Containerships Ltd says using LNG “makes the best ecological sense” since it’s the cleanest fossil fuel on the market. Burning it emits no sulphur or particulate matters and using it in these new vessels will also allow Containerships to reduce emissions of CO2 by 25%, according to Gasum.

The new vessels will offer the highest flexibility for 45ft units among container ships operating in the North Sea and Baltic Sea. Each vessel will be able to accommodate up to 639 units of 45ft containers and have a total capacity of 1,400 teu.

Delivery is scheduled for 2016.