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Novel New Ro/Ro Wind Component Carrier Launched at Zhenjiang Shipyard

The offshore wind service vessel company Deugro is building two unique and specialized cargo vessels for turbine components, which keep getting bigger and bigger every year. Deugro Danmark secured a firm charter agreement with turbine builder Siemens Gamesa for its "Rotra" concept of wind component transport. Working with Siemens Gamesa, specialty vessel designer DEKC Maritime and shipbuilder Concordia Damen, Deugro came up with a more cost-effective and efficient vessel design to carry out the task.  The Rotra Futura and sister ship Rotra Horizon are designed for ro/ro loading with a rear ramp, and can stow turbine blades three tiers high. They also have cranes for greater flexibility in loading methods and a house-forward accommodations arrangement to maximize cargo deck space. The previous generation of Rotra vessels are house-aft, with a bow ramp, and they underwent significant modifications in 2022: they were widened with sponsons and had their ro/ro ramps modified, all to handle the growing size of modern turbines.  A modern Wartsila main engine will power them ahead with 15 percent better efficiency than a comparable older vessel, augmented with a waste heat recovery system.  "Innovation is central to our ship designs, allowing…

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Project to Build First Hydrogen-Power Containership Receives EU Funding

Energy Observer, a company focused on developing clean energy solutions, is working on building the world’s largest liquid hydrogen-powered cargo ship called EO2 with the support of the European Union’s Innovation Fund. The EO2 project was selected from 85 applications and awarded €40 million (US$42 million) from the European Union’s Innovation Fund to advance the development of the vessel. The current design of EO2 is a 160-meter (525-foot) containership with a carrying capacity of 1,100 TEU. It aims to be the world’s lowest carbon-emitting cargo ship. The vessel will be equipped with a 4.8 MW electric propulsion system powered by hydrogen fuel cells developed by EODev and Toyota. The initial investment for the project is estimated to be over €100 million, covering studies and construction of the vessel. The EO2 is planned to have a range of 14 days and 1,600 nautical miles, with an average speed of 12.5 knots and a maximum speed of 16 knots. It will be approximately 12,000 dwt and operate with a crew of 18. They project the vessel could reduce CO2 emissions by 112,250 tons over 10 years. The current plan projects…

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World’s First Liquefied CO2 Carrier delivered in China

Ceremonies in China marked the completion of the Northern Pioneer, the world’s first liquefied CO2 carrier designed for carbon capture and storage operations in Norway,Northern Pioneer, is the first of four being built for a CCS operation set to launch in Norway and receive its first captured CO2 in 2025. The Northern Pioneer, a 7,500-cubic-meter liquefied carbon dioxide (LCO2) carrier independently designed and built by a Chinese shipbuilding firm, was delivered Friday in the northeastern coastal city of Dalian. This event marks a major stride in China's shipbuilding industry. Constructed by Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of the China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited, the vessel is commissioned by Norway's Northern Lights, and it is set to play a critical role in Europe's carbon capture and storage program. The carrier measures 130 meters in length and 21.2 meters in width, with specially designed features enabling it to withstand temperatures as low as minus 35 degrees Celsius. It can transport up to 7,500 cubic meters of LCO2. After delivery, it will transport CO2 emissions from the European industrial sectors to a receiving terminal on Norway's west coast, where…

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