Evergreen Line has taken delivery of two new 12,000TEU class F-type container ships, named Ever Forever and Ever Far, which will enhance the company’s Transpacific network.
These two newbuildings are the sixth and the seventh vessels of this series that Evergreen has received. Ever Forever was built at the Geoje Shipyard of Samsung Heavy Industries, while Ever Far was delivered by Imabari Shipbuilding.
Ever Forever will be put into service on the Asia-US East Coast (AUE) service, which follows a port rotation of Xiamen, Kaohsiung, Hong Kong, Yantian, through the Panama Canal to Colon Container Terminal in Panama and then to Savannah, New York, Norfolk and Baltimore before heading back to Asia.
At the same time, Ever Far is deployed on the South China-Taiwan-US West Coast (HTW) route, with a service scope covering Kaohsiung (or Taipei Port in the future), Xiamen, Hong Kong, Yantian, Los Angeles and Oakland.
The ships’ 58,000-horsepower main engines are powering the technically advanced vessels to their allocated loading ports on Evergreen’s Transpacific services while the propellers, which measure nearly 10m in diameter, are driving them efficiently toward their new employment, according to Evergreen’s announcement.
The F-type containerships have a length of 334m, a width of 48.4m, and a scantling draft of 15.5m. The dimensions are within the draft limitations and terminal operation standards of major ports in the US.
The ship’s hull adopts the twin-island design, in which the navigation bridge is located in the fore section of the ship and the engine room is located semi-aft. “This configuration helps to prevent containers on the deck from affecting the view from the bridge and increases cargo loadability,” noted the Taiwanese line.
The optimised hull design reduces wave resistance, decreasing fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, according to Evergreen, which added, “The F-type ship is equipped with a facility to remove both sulphur oxide and nitrogen oxide exhaust gases; ballast water treatment systems; electric deck machinery; air-sealed stern shaft seals; alternative maritime power (AMP) and other environmental protection features.”
Evergreen has introduced the Smart Ship System into the design of the F-type ships, which has been certified by the relevant class societies.
This advanced system can provide a full range of key information for both the crew and the supervising team ashore, assisting with the monitoring of the ship’s operational condition. “This assists the crew to conduct safe and timely navigation and maintain trim optimisation in accordance with changing weather and sea conditions,” explained the company.
The ultimate aims are to reduce fuel consumption, optimise navigational routings and contribute to Evergreen’s green initiatives.
With the addition of these two new vessels, Evergreen has now taken delivery of sixteen newly built container ships, including seven F-type ships of 12,000TEU and nine C-type ships of 1,800TEU this year.
“These additions will not only provide more space to meet the demands of shippers, but also ensure more efficient service to facilitate global trade,” claimed the Taipei-headquartered carrier.
Evergreen has another 53 newbuildings to be delivered, including vessels owned by the carrier and ships chartered in. This order book still contains ten A-type ships of 24,000TEU, thirteen F-type ships of 12,000TEU, fourteen O-type ships of 2,500TEU and sixteen C-type ships of 1,800TEU, all to be delivered by the end of 2022.
With the delivery of these new ships, Evergreen’s fleet renewal programme will continue as older ships are gradually phased out and chartered vessels are returned to their owners.
Evergreen expects that in approximately two years it will have one of the “youngest, most technically advanced and sustainable containership fleets in the world.”
