SHI Delivers World’s Largerst Container Ship

The world’s largest container ship, Xin Los Angeles, has been delivered by Samsung Heavy Industries Co Ltd. (SHI) to Lloyd’s Register class. The ship is owned by China Shipping Container Lines (CSCL) and is operated by China International Shipmanagement Company Ltd., a joint venture between CSCL and V.Ships. The ship is 9,600 teu and is the first in a series of eight being built by SHI. The ship will trade from China to Europe initially and will eventually also trade to the US. Xin Los Angeles can carry a maximum of 18 rows of containers by eight tiers on the weather deck and 16 rows by 10 tiers in the holds. The principal dimensions of the ship are: 336.7 m length overall; 45.6 m beam; and 15.0 m draught. The ship is propelled by an MAN B&W 12K98MC-C Mk6, with a power of 68,520 kW. During sea trials the ship achieved a ballast service speed of 25.4 knots. The ship has been assigned Lloyd’s Register’s Environmental Protection Notation, which recognizes vessels which exceed current statutory environmental requirements. The ship has a certified ballast water management system and has detailed procedures and systems in place for dealing with refrigerants, garbage and sewage and will also run on low-sulfur fuel. The ship is also enrolled in Lloyd’s Register’s Ship Emergency Response Service (SERS), a naval architectural consultancy service which provides technical support in the event of an incident such as a grounding or collision. As part of SERS, the operator will undergo a set number of ship emergency response exercises during the course of a given calendar year. Xin Los Angeles has also been assigned Lloyd’s Register’s Crew Accommodation Comfort Notation. This means that the vessel has been designed to mitigate noise and vibration levels. A high specification of noise dampening material has been employed throughout the accommodation, and the vessel has been designed to minimize vibration aspects, by assessing main engine vibration characteristics, propeller design and equipment specification.