Jost Bergmann News

DNV GL’s latest Container Ship Forum and Bulk Carrier Forum looked at a broad spectrum of topics including environmental regulations, trends in ship design as well as the new DNV GL rule set. Some 150 representatives from the container and bulk industry met with DNV GL experts at the forums in Hamburg to hear the presentations and participate in informal discussions. As economy of scale is reducing transportation costs per box, the demand for ever bigger vessels is continuing.

DNV gathered before and after operational-performance data which indicate that redesigning the bulbous bow of slow-steaming container ships can produce fuel savings of 5% or above. These “nose jobs” can have a payback time of less than a year, DNV said. Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) operates a series of 8,600 TEU container vessels which were designed and built for high speed. These vessels are actually able to operate at 27 knots. However, today the vessels are “slow steaming”, operating in the range of 15 to 18 knots. At these speeds, the existing bulb is not efficient. To quantify the possible savings potential, DNV carried out a comprehensive study to develop a new bulbous bow shape optimized for the expected trading conditions.