Newbuilding orders in the feeder containership segment are set to grow as the shipping industry approaches a deficit of smaller vessels capable of servicing a diverse geographical spread of ports and terminals.
New vessel contracting over the past five years has been squarely focussed on the ultra large containership segment, boosting the number of vessels that can carry vast numbers of containers, but lowering the number able to service smaller ports.
Vessels and Shipyards
With recent orders focussing on larger ships, the age profile of the feeder container fleet has continued to increase, making modern feeder tonnage increasingly scarce as more ships approach scrapping age.
Now, shipowners are looking to smaller size segments as an attractive investment proposition against which to obtain long term charters. New designs are emerging as feeders evolve to meet demand for flexible operations, reflecting the need to maximise cargo stowage and optimise operational efficiency.
The trend toward increased ordering of smaller ships is also prompting a shift among contracting yards, with smaller facilities seeking to capture a slice of this growing market.
The yards entering this sector of the newbuilding market are also geographically diverse, including established territories such as China and newer ones across Asia-Pacific and India.
Just as mid-sized yards have expanded into building larger vessels, these smaller yards – often specialised in inland or coastal trading vessels – are upgrading facilities and setting their sights on building ships capable of addressing the demand for new, versatile feeder tonnage.
These facilities need guidance and support in adapting to the challenges of building larger, more complex vessels, incorporating the latest operational and safety technology. To do so, they seek to apply new tools including software-based design and modelling, as well as simulations to optimise fuel consumption, cargo safety and carrying capacity.
New Challenges
- For both shipowners and their chosen shipyards, there are many questions to consider when building new ships in a facility that may not have direct previous experience of working in this segment.
- Identifying the needs of the owner and the yard’s process for meeting these is the starting point from which almost every project milestone will flow. Some common issues include optimisation for cargo capacity based on intended trading patterns, fuel type and readiness for conversion, auxiliary power systems as well as, safety considerations to prevent cargo loss and maintain vessel safety.
- Owners will typically undertake feasibility studies to understand the economic case for a ship with optimised or enhanced cargo carrying capacity and the design choices they must make to achieve the targeted loading capacity.
- They can work with class to identify all applicable regulatory and compliance regimes that should be considered. Class can also draw on its experience to support the shipyard design office in the integrating cargo optimisation and structural system choices into the vessel drawings.
Design and operational enhancements
ABS supports clients in the containership market in multiple channels, and according to the specific requirements of their vessels. Insights on fuel strategy can include CII rating analysis and the cost impacts of Fuel EU Maritime, EU ETS and Greenhouse Gas Fuel Intensity regulations.
Requirements might also include readiness to use alternative fuels, for which ABS provides its Guide for Gas and Other Low-flashpoint Fuel Ready Vessels to provide criteria for preparing vessels to use LNG or other alternative fuels.
This guidance, to both shipowners and shipbuilders preparing a ship design as ready for alternative fuels, defines three ‘Alternative Fuel Ready’ levels: Concept Design Review, Detail Design Review and final Installation.
- Operational profile analysis includes insights into vessel operational parameters and support on development of a hull optimisation matrix. ABS supports in undertaking vessel specification and General Arrangement Plan review, drawing on subject matter experience from within ABS to tailor the ship toward the owner’s needs.
- ABS can also support the owner in identifying areas of potential cargo boosting to improve commercial performance and to future proof their assets.
Some typical examples of design changes that can impact design and operations include conventional and novel bow hull designs, positioning of the deck house, the potential of adding a further bay of containers above the mooring deck and energy efficiency measures such as the inclusion of ‘wind shields’ on the bow to reduce resistance.
In terms of popular energy efficiency measures, sail-assisted propulsion has become an increasingly interesting measure seeking to reduce fuel consumption and improve their vessel’s emissions.
- ABS can provide support in helping owners identify systems that best fits their needs, including undertaking economic feasibility studies, identification of regulatory compliance requirements and shipyard support for structural system integration of sail system applications, however these applications remain very rare for container vessels.
- Optimising Safe Sailing
Changing port rotations, blank sailings, evolving stowage plans and shifting geopolitical conditions are increasing pressure on vessel operators and require a corresponding operational flexibility. Each route change has an impact on the expected lashing forces and therefore on a ship’s loading capability.
To help operators understand the optimum configuration for safe sailing, ABS provides Eagle CRoute, a software solution that can determine different reduction factors depending on the intended port rotation. For vessels with the CLP-V notation, the tool calculates reduction factors for the entire route.
For vessels with the CLP-V(PARR) notation, it can provide more detailed calculations, including split-route reduction factors between specific ports as well as seasonal reduction factors based on the time of year.
Eagle CRoute also includes the capability to calculate short-voyage reduction factors for voyages of less than 72 hours between two ports, taking weather and wave forecast information into account. By bringing these functions together in a single online tool, Eagle CRoute supports more efficient planning for containership operations.
Conclusions
The high age of feeder class ships relative to the rest of the containership fleet makes this portion of the fleet less efficient and likely to soon face challenges with compliance and competitive position.
Meanwhile, growing demand for tonnage in developing countries where ports are often smaller, makes feeder ships a potentially interesting investment. The ‘cascade effect’ where younger, usually larger ships replace the ageing tonnage cannot always occur in the same way as for larger units due to limitations on port draughts and waterway access.
The use of design optimisation, cargo boosting and lashing configuration are all measures that shipowners can use to improve operational flexibility and increase revenue streams. With support from ABS, both owners and shipyards can take advantage of a range of tools and technology to increase vessel efficiency within the context of operational flexibility and safety.
This article was written by Christoph Rasewsky, Container Sector Lead, ABS
