MV Alice

On Saturday 4 May 2013, MV Alice, built for Erik Thun A.B., was successfully launched at the Westerbroek yard of Ferus Smit in the Netherlands. The ship is named after Alice Källsson, wife of Helge Källsson who founded the Thun Shipping Company 75 years ago. Ann-Christin Backstrom, wife of Governor Lars Backstrom of the Swedish Gotaland region, performed the naming ceremony. After successful sea trials, MV Alice, Ferus Smit yard number 415, was delivered to Erik Thun A.B. on 6 June 2013. Her maiden voyage was in ballast from Delfzijl to Antwerp, where she loaded her first cargo bound for Heroya, Norway.

In the summer of 2012, Ferus Smit was awarded an order to build two ships for their long-time client Erik Thun AB. The ships, to be built under No. 415 and 416, are upgraded versions of the TrollMax series already in service with Thun Shipping. These bulk orientated general cargo vessels have a tailor-made shape for the inland part of their specific trading route. Extensive studies of the hull form, to meet these requirements, have resulted in an optimised design (Mk III) requiring less power and allowing an increase of 100 ton cargo capacity over its predecessors.

Ferus Smit

Ferus Smit is a family-owned shipyard established over 100 years ago. Like most Dutch shipyards they pride themselves on building long-term relationships with clients. One such client is Erik Thun for whom Ferus has already built 26 vessels.

Ferus Smit has two shipbuilding facilities, one in the Dutch province of Groningen and the other in Leer, Germany. At both sites all the required core disciplines are in-house to build a complete vessel. The head office, design and engineering offices are located at the primary yard in Westerbroek. The Westerbroek facility has a transverse slipway 145 metre long, situated on the river Winschoterdiep. The bridges and locks in the river en route to sea limit the maximum breadth of ‘Dutch Ferus’ vessels to 15.87 metres. To facilitate the building of larger ships, a second production site was opened in the year 2000, just across the border in Leer, Germany.

The company has 200 permanently employed craftsmen and produces six to eight vessels annually. Their designs mainly consist of general cargo ships, bulkers, tankers and dedicated purpose vessels (‘specials’), sized up to approximately 30,000 deadweight tons. The yard prefers to work with local or Dutch subcontractors as much as possible, as does their business partner and client Management Facilities Group (MF Group). Both companies consider their contribution to the further development of the industry in the Groningen area very relevant.

Erik Thun A.B. & Management Facilities Group

Erik Thun AB was officially founded in 1938 and, whilst it is named after Erik Thun, it was initially set up and run by Helge Kallsson. The shipping and ship owner activities probably started as far back as 1853 when the port of Lidkoping was built. Whilst the company is also involved in aircraft sales and leasing, real estate and meat processing, the core activity has always been shipping. The management of the company has been handed down from father to son over generations and Erik Thun AB intends to remain a family-owned business. The group operates 34 vessels, comprising of conventional dry cargo vessels, self-unloading vessels and product tankers.

MV Alice is managed by Marin Ship Management, the shipping division of the MF Group in Farmsum, the Netherlands. The vessel will sail under the Dutch flag with Delfzijl as its homeport. MF Group is one of the larger all-round maritime services providers in the Netherlands, providing a comprehensive range of management services to a growing group of (again mostly long-term) customers.

The human being is the most important tool

The Marine Division and its two companies Marin Ship Management and Flagship Management are responsible for this. The MF Group is an ci internationally oriented enterprise with clients in o Sweden, Finland, Germany and the Netherlands.

Operational aspects of the Trollmax concept

The Trollmax concept is dimensioned specifically to meet the limitations of the Trollhatte canal. The canal is 82 kilometres long, ten kilometres of which are manmade, the remainder being a natural waterway called the Gota Alv River. The canal connects the North Sea at Gothenburg with the Vanern Lakes (the great lakes) in the south of Sweden. To cater for the 44 metre difference in water level between lake and the sea, six locks have been built. This provides three main challenges in the Trollmax design, officially the width inside the locks is limited to 13.20 metres, while the length can be no more than 88.00 metres and the draught is restricted to 5.40 metres. The minimum water depth in the main canal is 6.30 metres, whilst the threshold depth of the locks is 5.70 metres at the lowest water level. A fourth challenge is presented by the presence of a recently installed cyclists’ bridge in Gothenburg, restricting the air draught and requiring a collapsible aft mast. Environmental issues provide the final challenge. Rules and regulations in the Scandinavian waters are much more stringent than in most parts of Europe.

The general concept

As described above the anticipated sailing area provided Ferus with a few interesting challenges. A careful reader may have noticed that the official lock restrictions of the Trollhätte canal are less than the main particulars of the vessel. Whilst the shape of the locks is not exactly rectangular, the designers modified the ‘waterline’ shape to fit the exact size of the lock. This explains the knuckle and the sloped sides (horizontally intersecting the hull) of the transom, which follows the contour of the lock doors with only a few centimetres to spare. The same applies for the fore section of the ship, though the bow has a more rounded shape. The ship’s sides are similarly designed.

All Trollmax series of ships were designed and built to exactly fit through these locks with a maximum size to cargo ratio. This was achieved by a hull with an extremely high block coefficient and the use of light high tensile steel in the construction. The latest generation Trollmax, ‘Mk III’, shows a further improvement. Using new calculation techniques it was possible to achieve an additional 100 tons cargo capacity and a 19.4 per cent fuel reduction. MV Alice, with a total load capacity of 5,110 tons, is now the largest Vanermaxfartyget ever, surpassing her five sister ships, Eken, Luro, Lecko, Kinne, and Tuna.

Alice is also in the forefront environmentally, as she is equipped with a ballast water treatment system, and a water-lubricated propeller shaft, to rule out any possibility of oil leakage. An upgraded electrical system (able to take 50Hz and 60Hz), permits running at reduced speed, which is understood to further halve fuel consumption. This is also a preparation for the new regulations on sulphur emissions SECA 2015.

The optimised hull shape

The starting point of the hull form design and optimisation was the proven Mk II Trollmax shape. The new hull form was extensively analysed and optimised using Ferus’ in-house CFD flow prediction software, in which hull wave patterns can be predicted. After several variations the final choice was made to adapt a very large bulbous bow instead of the original ‘bulbless’ bow or an axe-bow concept. For this specific application a very large bulb appeared to be advantageous as the displacement could be maximised to the extreme within the given parameters. The results of this optimisation were very promising and a significant theoretical reduction in wave resistance was achieved, while the displacement of the hull increased.

Further research was then done at SSPA, the Goteborg-based model test basin, where completely virtual model testing by CFD calculations was performed. Full viscous flow (turbulent) calculations were made for both resistance and propulsion (wake). This resulted in minor modifications to the aft ship, improving the overall propulsive efficiency through propeller inflow and low pressures around the aft shape. As final verification, traditional model tests were performed at SSPA. The tests demonstrated that the calculation results, which at first seemed to be overly optimistic, were actually correct.

The upgraded propulsion and electrical system

After the optimisation of the hull shape, the propulsion and the electrical system were subjected to a close inspection. Baltic states do not allow the use of heavy fuel oil, so the selection of a diesel engine was obvious. The ship is provided with one Berg Controllable Pitch Propeller (CPP), powered by a Wârtsilâ 26 main diesel engine of 1,950 kW, driven by means of a single shaft. The main engine is flexibly mounted on the engine seating and coupled to a Renk reduction gearbox, delivered by AMW Marine.

The Barke rudder, delivered by van der Velden, is operated by Rolls-Royce steering gear. The Jastram frequency controlled electric bow thrusters is the finishing touch to ensure good manoeuvrability. The auxiliary equipment consists of a Sisu diesel generator set of 128kW and a Stamford emergency generator.

Upon closer inspection the Wartsila engine is fitted with a Variable Inlet Control (VIC) system, designed to reduce smoke and emissions at part or low load. The system is an adaption of the Miller timing system, designed to close the valve later under low loads. Furthermore the use of the propulsion system (combination CCP and engine) is approached in a different manner to conventional thinking. Where one would assume that the main engine should run at one fixed rpm and the speed is to be controlled by the pitch of the propeller, on this vessel is a combination of rpm and pitch that dictates the optimal speed/fuel consumption rate. This means that the Wartsila main engine will run at either 750 or 900 rpm. To accommodate this range of speed on the shaft generator Eekels have supplied a specially equipped main switchboard that permits slow steaming. Power on board is 60Hz normally and 50Hz in ‘slow steaming’ conditions. The special considerations are ‘alarm -over rule’ and variable frequency drives for critical motors like steering gear and separators.

In addition to these measures, the main lighting system on board these vessels is triggered by motion sensors in all public spaces and will automatically switch off when nobody is ‘active’. Engine room lighting is halved at night with the other lights switching back in the event of an engine room alarm. Furthermore a 125 Amp shore connection is provided for harbour use instead of diesel generators.

Truly green, not only because of the colour of the paint

The water ballast treatment system

Maintaining the green theme, Alice is fitted with an Ocean Guard ballast water management system supplied by Reikon. This system is based on Advanced Electrocatalysis Oxidation Processes (AEOP) technology that destroys organisms by means of oxidisation as ballast water is taken on board. The system employs Hydroxyl radicals generated by a combination of oxidants, radiation and catalytic processes, which are extremely reactive and capable of destroying a large spectrum of organisms.

Compared to its competitors, Reikon’s Ocean Guard is, thanks to AEOP, not only more effective but also more efficient. This is because the ballast water which is taken on board requires only one treatment and can be discharged without further treatment. This single treatment means that deballasting can be done at the maximum rate, which on MV Alice is assisted by gravity. The system does not use expensive UV lamps that have to be replaced after a number of hours and therefore reducing the maintenance, whilst at the same time having one of the lowest power consumptions in the market. The system works equally well with seawater, freshwater and brackish water (estuarine), furthermore it has no complicated treatments requiring chemical additives and has a relatively small footprint. These are all seen, particularly by the end users, as the major benefits.

Accommodation and wheelhouse

The comfortable accommodation offers facilities for seven persons. All cabins are air-conditioned and equipped with private sanitary units. All bridge equipment was delivered and installed by SAM Electronics, featuring the NACOS Platinum Series, an integrated Navigation, Automation and Control System. The system is based on complimentary components and uses a common network to support a comprehensive suite of Radar, ECDIS and Conning displays. All available information can be viewed on any workstation, either in the engine control room, Captain’s office or public spaces of the ship. This SAM system provides a complete overview which, along with simplicity of operation, enables the crew to concentrate on operating the vessel safely without any undue distraction.

Cargo hold and equipment

MV Alice has one box shaped hold 61.75 metres long, 11.60/7.80 metres wide and 8.65 metres high. The tanktop in the hold is reinforced for 7.5t/m2 uniform load or 10t/m3 non-uniform. The hold is provided with movable grain bulkheads. Handling of all pontoon hatch panels and bulkheads is done with the gantry crane on coaming rails. The hold can be ventilated with a capacity of six changes/hour. Hatch covers and gantry crane are supplied by Coops & Nieborg.

The hold is fitted with an ingenious washing system for high pressure cleaning, using less water than conventional systems. However when sailing the Scandinavian waters, even this reduced amount of polluted water cannot be discharged. For this reason the aft most ballast tank below the hold is recessed and available for taking this dirty water simply by removing the hatch on the tanktop. Wastewater can then be pumped overboard after cleaning or (in future) pumped ashore.

Conclusion

MV Alice is a demonstration of the ultimate optimisation ofthe environmental and operational boundaries of a Trollmax vessel. Ferus Smit has thus delivered a highly competitive concept, offering clients more cargo volume economically transported per voyage in an environmentally friendly way. Moreover the evolution does not stop there, yard number 416, currently under construction, will be one step further, in for example more energy saving measures.

Tom Oomkens
All photos by Henk Zuur, the Netherlands