Short sea fleet on a green wave
The Arkon-Shipinvest shipping company, a joint venture with Rhenus, is expanding its fleet of approx. 120 units. The plan is to set up an own ecological short sea fleet. The group has placed orders for the first four environmentally-friendly vessels known as ‘Hanse Eco Short Sea Coasters’. Construction work is expected to start in February 2020, and the ships are due to be delivered during the second half of 2021.
The ‘Hanse Eco’ fleet is the result of an initiative launched by Torsten Westphal, one of the founding members of Arkon Shipping and holding 20% of the shares of the company. The new ship standard ‘Hanse-Eco’ vessel will be about 90 m long and have a load-carrying capacity of 4,200 t. The cargo hold will be able to accommodate about 5,500 cbm of goods.
The design comprises features like the bridge at the front, a different hull shape to reduce fuel consumption and an enlarged hold length. Besides the water treatment systems, which will be mandatory from 2020 onwards, the eco-vessels are equipped with a hybrid ship’s propulsion system with an organic catalytic converter, support from an electrical motor and a waste gas after-treatment unit. (fd)