Turning 8,600-TEUers into 10,000-TEUers 15pc cheaper than newbuilding
A KOREAN Register of Shipping (KR) feasibility study shows lengthening ships speeds them up, widening slows them down - while providing up to 30 per cent more cargo space at 15 per cent less cost than ordering a newbuilding.
Combining lengthening and broadening showed a four per cent drop in speed after conversion, while lengthening alone results in a vessel going one knot faster, reported Motorship, of Fareham, near Portsmouth, England.
A lengthened ship was also shown to consume five per cent less fuel than a widened version, said the Korean classification society's study.
Widening showed improved stability, with little need for extra reinforcement compared much greater reinforcement needed for a lengthened ship because of increased hull bending.
Widening conversion would also increase cargo capacity by up to 30 per cent, the study said, compared to 15 per cent by lengthening. But widening project takes twice as long.
The costs of both conversions are similar as are results of tests on maneuverability and anchoring.
Said KR technical chief CW Kim: "The cost to complete a ship conversion is 15 per cent of the cost of a newbuild and the conversion time is considerably shorter."
KR studied adding 28,8 metres to the vessel's length, or 5.2 metres to its beam, investigating the widening of an 8,600-TEUer, expanding it to 10,000 TEU.
The feasibility study follows a landmark project carried out by Huarun Dadong Dockyard Co for German owner and manager NSB last year.
As reported, the MSC Geneva was the first of three NSB vessels to have its beam extended, enhancing capacity from 4,860 TEU to more than 6,300 TEU by adding 7.56 metres to its beam amidships.
KR compared the traditional conversion method of lengthening the ship 28.8 metres with the more recent approach of expanding the vessel's beam 5.2 metres.
The class society analysed the new vessel's potential speed, fuel efficiency, maneuverability, anchoring constraints, stability and strength, as well as the cost and time needed for conversion and the size to which the ship could be expanded.
A KOREAN Register of Shipping (KR) feasibility study shows lengthening ships speeds them up, widening slows them down - while providing up to 30 per cent more cargo space at 15 per cent less cost than ordering a newbuilding.
Combining lengthening and broadening showed a four per cent drop in speed after conversion, while lengthening alone results in a vessel going one knot faster, reported Motorship, of Fareham, near Portsmouth, England.
A lengthened ship was also shown to consume five per cent less fuel than a widened version, said the Korean classification society's study.
Widening showed improved stability, with little need for extra reinforcement compared much greater reinforcement needed for a lengthened ship because of increased hull bending.
Widening conversion would also increase cargo capacity by up to 30 per cent, the study said, compared to 15 per cent by lengthening. But widening project takes twice as long.
The costs of both conversions are similar as are results of tests on maneuverability and anchoring.
Said KR technical chief CW Kim: "The cost to complete a ship conversion is 15 per cent of the cost of a newbuild and the conversion time is considerably shorter."
KR studied adding 28,8 metres to the vessel's length, or 5.2 metres to its beam, investigating the widening of an 8,600-TEUer, expanding it to 10,000 TEU.
The feasibility study follows a landmark project carried out by Huarun Dadong Dockyard Co for German owner and manager NSB last year.
As reported, the MSC Geneva was the first of three NSB vessels to have its beam extended, enhancing capacity from 4,860 TEU to more than 6,300 TEU by adding 7.56 metres to its beam amidships.
KR compared the traditional conversion method of lengthening the ship 28.8 metres with the more recent approach of expanding the vessel's beam 5.2 metres.
The class society analysed the new vessel's potential speed, fuel efficiency, maneuverability, anchoring constraints, stability and strength, as well as the cost and time needed for conversion and the size to which the ship could be expanded.