Hoistable Car Deck News

Danish ship design specialist KNUD E. HANSEN has revealed its newest, groundbreaking design, a 154-meter RoPax ferry that can transport up to 1500 passengers and 440 cars.The vessel also features an additional 657 lane meters for trucks and trailers. The vessel has been designed to with flexible maneuvering and docking capabilities making it highly suitable for markets such as the Mediterranean region but it is also able to work in a variety of locations and under a range of operation…

Danish naval architectural consultancy Knud E. Hansen has released its newest design, a 154-meter RoPax ferry that can transport up to 1,500 passengers and 440 cars.The vessel also offers an additional 657 lane meters for trucks and trailers, said the marine engineering company.The vessel has a service speed of 25 knots and can operate close to optimum engine load even at slow speeds due to its diesel electric propulsion plant and azimuthing pods. The four engines have a combined power of approximately 48 Megawatts and are fueled by marine diesel oil (MDO). There are also two tunnel thrusters located at the bow which, combined with the azipods, allow the vessel to move laterally without any forward or aft motion, a very desirable feature for mooring.

MacGregor, part of Cargotec, has secured a contract from Dutch shipbuilding group, Damen Shipyards, for the design and delivery of key components for RoRo access equipment for two 80m ice-class RoPax ferries destined to operate in Canada. The investment in these new vessels is part of the Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Government's vessel renewal programme. The first ferry is scheduled for delivery in 2015 and will operate on the Fogo Island and Change Islands service. The second is scheduled for delivery in 2016 and will operate on the Bell Island service.

In March this year, Cargotec received an order for MacGregor RoRo cargo access equipment for two multi role vessels under construction at the German yard P+S Werften in Stralsund for ferry operator DFDS Seaways. Both vessels are due to be delivered in the first half of 2012. The 3,000 lane-metre capacity newbuildings will also have room for 342 TEU on the weather deck, a special requirement of the Danish-German ARK project for the transport of military vehicles and containers.

Marking an important stage in the regeneration of the RoRo ferry route network maintained by Compania Trasmediterranea, last spring's delivery of the 28,275-gt RoPax Sorolla strengthened the state-owned firm's position in the Balearics trade. Imbuing both a higher degree of service quality and operational flexibility in an increasingly competitive segment of the Mediterranean market, Sorolla was built at the Vigo yard of Hijos de J.Barreras. She underscored the emergence of the Galician shipbuilder as a growing force in RoRo construction. Privatized in 1998 through its sale by the erstwhile Astilleros Españoles (now encapsulated in IZAR) to a group of Spanish maritime and industrial interests, Barreras also supplied blueprints for sistership Fortuny to IZAR's Puerto Real yard.

The abolition of tax-free sales on ferries in intra-EU traffic forced shipowners to find new sources of revenue. A declining number of passengers can be countered by converting ships to carry more cargo: for example, by reconfiguring car decks or exploiting former passenger cabin and amenity areas to accommodate more trucks and trailers — and fewer cars. • Continual search for higher profitability from existing assets rather than investment in new tonnage dictates maximization of cargo capacity and optimisation of handling to speed traffic flows and shorten times in port. A conversion to allow loading and discharging on two levels may be considered, for example, and the retrofit of auto-mooring equipment.

The first conversion project using replacement hoistable car decks based on MacGregor's new Corex panels are expected to provide weight savings on a 1979-built local ferry. This coming March, the 138 ft. (42 m) vehicle/passenger ferry Sam-Sine, which operates to the island of Samso in Denmark is going to be lengthened by 16 ft. (5 m). The 742 gt vessel also needs to be modified to fulfill SOLAS requirements for damage stability. The main factor behind Samso Linien's (the vessel's operator) specification of hoistable car decks based on MacGregor's new lightweight Corex panels was to obtain a weight reduction, as well as the need for a larger free height above and below the hoistable car deck.

The first conversion project using replacement hoistable car decks based on MacGregor's new Corex panels are expected to provide weight savings on a 1979-built local ferry. This coming March, the 138 ft. (42 m) vehicle/passenger ferry Sam-Sine, which operates to the island of Samso in Denmark is going to be lengthened by 16 ft. (5 m). The 742 gt vessel also needs to be modified to fulfill SOLAS requirements for damage stability. The main factor behind Samso Linien's (the vessel's operator) specification of hoistable car decks based on MacGregor's new lightweight Corex panels was to obtain a weight reduction, as well as the need for a larger free height above and below the hoistable car deck.

The first conversion project using replacement hoistable car decks based on MacGregor's new Corex panels are expected to provide weight savings on a 1979-built local ferry. This coming March, the 138 ft. (42 m) vehicle/passenger ferry Sam-Sine, which operates to the island of Samso in Denmark is going to be lengthened by 16 ft. (5 m). The 742 gt vessel also needs to be modified to fulfill SOLAS requirements for damage stability. The main factor behind Samso Linien's (the vessel's operator) specification of hoistable car decks based on MacGregor's new lightweight Corex panels was to obtain a weight reduction, as well as the need for a larger free height above and below the hoistable car deck.

Built at Hyundai Heavy Industries, the 3,500-lane m Stena Britannica was scheduled for delivery to Stena RoRo in Sweden on November 30, 2002. Measuring 692 x 96 x 51 ft. (210.8 x 29.3 x 15.6 m), and a design draft of 21 ft. (6.3 m), the vessel is powered by four MAN B&W 9L40/54 engines, each developing 6,480 kW at 500 rpm driving a pair of Rolls-Royce CP propellers through two Renk twin-input/single-output gearboxes. These gearboxes reduce engine speed to 150 rpm enabling the vessel to move at a service speed of 22 knots. The vessel, which will operate between the U.K. and Holland and Ireland, was designed to comply with the new Stockholm Agreement Rules and IMO A 265 for the damage stability.

With tall, slab sides encasing a multi-deck configuration, the pure car/truck carrier (PCTC) has a characteristically high windage factor, influencing course-keeping, maneuvering and fuel usage. A new series of PCTCs at the top end of the capacity range denotes a particular endeavor by Japanese shipbuilders to raise design performance through close attention to the aerodynamic properties of such vessels. Recently delivered into the long-haul vehicle trade patterns maintained by Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL), the 57,000-gt Courageous Ace embodies a refined form intended to lessen wind resistance and enhance fuel efficiency. Courageous Ace can load 6,400 automobiles of 'standard' size throughout its 13 cargo decks, and is the first of a trio from Minami Nippon Shipbuilding's Oita yard.