Reederei NSB Widens Panamax-class Container Vessels
In an unprecedented endeavour, the ship manager Reederei NSB is widening its Panamax-class container vessels. DNV GL, the class in charge, is on board, says a report in DNV GL, Maritime Impact. Too young for scrapping, too old to compete: Roughly 500 Panamax-class container ships are currently less than ten years old, barely half their useful life. But facing overcapacities, low charter rates and ierce competition, the Panamax class is under intense pressure. Compared with state-of-the-art and much more capacious newbuildings, its prospects are dim. This is mainly due to the way these vessels were designed. To pass the old locks of the Panama Canal, they were built with unusual dimensions – long and thin and with a large amount of ballast water to compensate the poor stability.
DNV GL Examines Container and Bulk Shipping Trends
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.
GL Container Ship Forum
The Forum looked at a broad spectrum of topics concerning container shipping including: stowage and lashing, the potential for LNG vessels and bunkering, trends in the liner markets, high tensile steel and thick materials for ship building, pilotage and maneuvering XXL container ships in the Hamburg harbor and the advantages of having an Emergency Response Service. Some 50 representatives from the container industry met with GL experts at the Container Ship Forum, to hear the presentations and participate in informal discussions.
