Shipping line Safmarine has taken delivery of the 4500 teu Safmarine Chilka, the first of three new Safmarine-branded WAFMAX containerships to join the A.P Moller-Maersk fleet in 2012. The vessel has been purpose-built for the trade with Africa and has been deployed on the Far East – Africa trade. The Safmarine Chilka – which has a crew complement of nineteen (officers, ratings and two cadets) – is also the first of a series of container vessels from Hyundai Heavy Industries to be fitted with super-long-stroke main engines and a waste heat recovery system to reduce emissions and save fuel.
According to Grant Daly, Safmarine CEO , “ Twenty-three new Safmarine-branded vessels have joined the A.P. Moller-Maersk fleet since 2004, which represents a significant investment in the Safmarine brand. Not only are these vessels an example of the A.P. Moller-Maersk Group’s commitment to growing and strengthening the Safmarine brand and our trade with Africa, but they are also among the most modern in the industry today, thanks to new technology which is far kinder to the environment .”
The new ship features a white hull, a distinctive feature of all Safmarine containerships.
“ Using environmentally-friendly paints to paint our ships white is not only a characteristic of all Safmarine container vessels, but it also benefits energy conservation as it lowers the ambient temperature in the holds were reefer boxes are carried – and this means less energy is needed for cooling and less electricity consumed ,” Daly said.
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Shipbuilding Tribune Staff, February 28, 2012; Image: safmarine