ABS to class two LNG-fueled containerships

ABS, a provider of classification services to the maritime and offshore industries, has been chosen to class two LNG-fueled containerships to be built in China for German owner GNS Shipping/Nordic Hamburg.

The 1,400 TEU vessels will feature dual-fuel propulsion enabling them to burn LNG and conventional bunker fuel. They will be built at Yangzhou Guoyu Shipbuilding Co. Ltd, for GNS Shipping/Nordic Hamburg for long-term charter to Containerships Ltd Oy, of Finland.

ABS will review the design, survey the construction and class the ships for operation on delivery in the course of 2016. The order includes options for a further two vessels.

“We are delighted to have been awarded the classification contract for these innovative containerships, which draw on our real-world experience classing vessels using LNG as fuel,” says ABS Europe Division President and COO Kirsi Tikka. “As shipowners embrace alternative fuels to achieve regulatory compliance and operational efficiencies, ABS is uniquely placed to provide the support needed to realize technically demanding newbuilding projects.”

The vessels feature an innovative design which reduces the impact of LNG bunker tanks on container capacity, with a layout arrangement between two cargo holds. Both the main and at least one auxiliary engine will use dual-fuel technology, providing cleanly generated electricity for the ship’s 300 reefer containers.

“We are pleased to be working with ABS on this project that will change the game for LNG-fueled ships in the European Sulfur Emission Control Area,” says GNS Shipping/Nordic Hamburg Managing Director Rowil Ponta. “These ships will be the new benchmark for the European feeder trades and in ABS we have a partner with the technical competence and experience to help us deliver.”

Press Release, September 10, 2014; Image: Wartsila