Japanese Partner Up on Anti-Roll Tank Research for Large Containerships

ClassNK has signed a joint R&D agreement with Nihon Shipyard and IMC to ensure the safety and performance evaluation of anti-roll tanks (ART) installed on large containerships. Under the R&D agreement, Nihon Shipyard, IMC, and ClassNK will work together to expand the application of ART to large containerships. Utilizing the obtained data and knowledge, each party will collaborate to ensure the safer application of ART on an actual ship and performance evaluation. AS part of the partnership, Nihon Shipayard will design of optimal installation plan of ART on large containerships, IMC will conduct demonstration of ART's reduction effect on ship’s roll, while ClassNK establish the appropriate evaluation methods for ART. An ART is a device designed to suppress the ship's roll by moving liquid, such as water, within the tank. Consideration for ART installation on large containerships is advancing due to the expectation of improving container loading efficiency by reducing roll motion and preventing parametric roll, which is regarded as one of the causes of container collapse accidents. The parametric role is a type of resonance phenomenon where ship’s roll amplifies, that occurs when the natural roll period…

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Baltic Dry decreased 406 points or 19.39% since the beginning of 2024

The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index, a measure of global shipping costs, eased two points to 1,683 points on Wednesday, after an uptick in the previous session, as the supramax index shed 7 points at 1,478 points. Meanwhile, the capsize index, which typically transports 150,000-ton cargoes such as iron ore and coal, rose by 0.8% to 2,116 points, still hovering around three-month lows; and the panamax index, which usually carries about 60,000-70,000 tons of coal or grain cargo, added 2 points to 1,847 points. Forecast Baltic Dry decreased 406 points or 19.39% since the beginning of 2024, according to trading on a contract for difference (CFD) that tracks the benchmark market for this commodity. Baltic Exchange Dry Index is expected to trade at 1770.77 points by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts’ expectations. Looking forward, we estimate it to trade at 2055.19 in 12 months’ time.

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CMA CGM Starts Upgrades of 100 Vessels at Damen to Improve Efficiency

French shipping giant CMA CGM is the latest to plan upgrades applying a range of technologies to help it improve the efficiency of its ships. Damen Shipyards Group reports it has reached an agreement for a long-term cooperation that will result in significant modifications to around 100 of CMA CGM’s vessels, including several of the newest in the fleet. Faced with increasing environmental regulations and financial pressures, shipowners are pursuing near-term upgrades to their in-service ship designs to help meet the first-tier industry goals for reduced emissions. Analysts believe that through the use of the available improvements to ships and technology such as routing and voyage planning systems the shipping industry will be able to meet the IMO’s goals for a 30 percent reduction in emissions by 2030. Damen highlights that up until now CMA CGM has been using shipyards in China and occasionally the Middle East. This project calls for the upgrades to take place at Damen Shiprepair Dunkerque and Damen Shiprepair Amsterdam, marking the first time CMA CGM will use European yards for complex modifications. A key part of the project will be the installation of…

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