Benefits from Shipbuilding & Sea Transportation Processes

The demand for increased operational efficiencies while minimizing environmental impact is driving major shifts in the shipping industry and its uptake of new technologies and ideas. Digitalization has smoothed overall transportation processes and has put the focus on efficiency at every opportunity. Software programs are used to help stack containers as efficiently as possible; anticipated cargoes are filed in systems well ahead of the loading time; and ships are loading and unloading containers in sequences carefully calculated by cargo optimization tools.

In turn, the complexity of current technological solutions requires high levels of cooperation between companies during the shipbuilding process. Previously, interaction during the ship design phase occurred mainly between the design office and the future shipowner. However, to benefit from these new systems, their suppliers should be brought into the dialogue at an early stage of a ship’s design. Enhanced cooperation between all interested parties in the shipbuilding process allows decision-making to be based on the actual operating conditions of the vessel and industrial needs, consequently equipping the ship with systems that enable it to reach its full earning capacity, thus ensuring long-term profitability.

MacGregor’s in-depth understanding of the shipping industry ensures that essential benefits can be made from fully utilizing customized cargo systems for container ships. These benefits include enhanced ship utilization rates, improved fuel efficiency and ease of environmental compliance.

The delivery of these enhanced benefits to customers depends on the fundamental shift in the importance of the cargo handling system at a ship’s design phase. MacGregor’s responsibility as a global market leader in cargo flow solutions for maritime transportation and offshore industries is to provide its extensive expertise on cargo efficiency and to make sure that the industry can benefit from onboard cargo systems that meet today’s demanding requirements. Therefore, MacGregor is striving to elevate the status of the cargo handling system so that it is at the forefront of the modern shipbuilding process.

This elevated status is achieved through a forward-thinking approach and dialogues with the shipowner at the early stages of a ship’s design, before any restrictive decisions have been made. Tight collaboration with the customer from the very beginning of the shipbuilding process enables MacGregor to analyze the impact of different loading requirements on individual components of the cargo handling system and to align the system with the ship’s hull design.

MacGregor also encourages the customer to adopt a holistic view of the cargo handling system, ensuring that all the parts of the cargo handling system are considered during the ship’s design. When all parts of the cargo system are designed and delivered by one responsible party, and the ship’s hull matches the system requirements, there are fewer interfaces to control, administration is simpler and it is easier to keep to schedules.

As a result of MacGregor’s approach, all parts of the final cargo system can be optimized in terms of strength and weight so that they work as one entity to accommodate maximum payload space for the anticipated cargoes. With a system optimized for its anticipated cargoes, there are fewer unpleasant surprises in the anticipated revenue streams during ship operation. Furthermore, when the performance of a cargo system is known in advance, it makes the decision process for the investment more transparent and reduces risks. In addition, the benefits that MacGregor’s approach brings to its direct customer – the shipowner – also work to the advantage of other players engaged in the shipbuilding process. For example, it allows the shipyards to sell payload capacity rather than just selling the ships. This adds value to the shipyards’ offering for shipowners.  

An order received in 2013 effectively illustrates how optimized cargo systems can be successfully applied to major vessels. MacGregor will supply cargo handling systems for six 18,800 TEU ultra-large container vessels and eleven 15,000 TEU container ships for the United Arab Shipping Company (UASC). The ships are being built by Hyundai Heavy Industries and Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries and are designed to set new standards in fuel and energy efficiency. The first of the 18,800 TEU series, Barzan, has been delivered and the remaining vessels are scheduled for delivery by 2016.

These ships had to provide cost-effective, efficient and environmentally-friendly operations. To achieve these goals, cargo system design work started at an early stage in the project, with all relevant parties working in close cooperation.

The MacGregor cargo handling systems have been designed to meet these requirements and will comprise hatch covers, a comprehensive lashing system and Lashmate software.

To succeed in today’s highly-competitive environment, the shipbuilding industry should not simply consider the technical aspects when building a ship, but rather it should think in terms of a ship as a revenue-generating investment. MacGregor’s forward-thinking approach ensures that a container ship’s utilization rate and its earning capability can be maximized, while at the same time minimizing its environmental impact.