Dutch Designers Promote Electric-Powered Vessel for Short-Sea Shipping
Dutch firm Conoship International is pushing to expand the scope of its short-sea shipping offering. After having pioneered a series of standardized vessel designs, it is now launching a design for a general cargo ship that will be fully propelled by electric power.
The design and engineering firm that focuses on concepts for small general cargo ships suited for river and coastal operations, specifically in the Scandinavian region, unveiled what it is calling a zero-emission 89-meter (292-foot) vessel that will be fitted with a 40 MWh electric propulsion system.
The new vessel design is an upgrade on the company’s diesel-electric powered general cargo vessel offerings of 3,800 dwt. The company has built six vessels of this type that measure 89 meters and feature a holding capacity of over 180,000 cubic feet. They are engineered to achieve up to 35 percent fuel savings compared to conventional coasters. In June, the company delivered Wilson ECO VI, the last ship in the series that was constructed at Udupi Cochin shipyard.
Though Conoship has announced that its transiting to bigger ships with a cargo capacity of 6,300 dwt, the firm has decided to upgrade the 3,800 dwt design platform into fully electric, a design that it says is suitable for shortsea routes, green shipping corridors and emission-restricted coastal zones.
Electric power would be suited for the sensitive environmental zones in Scandinavia and the North Sea (Conoship)
Powered by 40 MWh battery propulsion, the vessel is designed to offer an operational range of 350 nautical miles at 10 knots or up to 650 nautical miles at 8 knots. The ship is being promoted as being perfectly suited for bulk commodities and project cargo transportation in short-sea routes where shore power infrastructure and fixed sailing schedules are prominent.
Conoship is highlighting that to account for evolving shore power availability and unpredictable operational profiles, the new design can be integrated with a compact, downsized generator set powered by biofuel. The aim is to give shipowners operational flexibility on unconstrained routes while maintaining the sustainable baseline for green shipping corridors. With the new design, the company will specifically be targeting shipowners in the Scandinavian fjord corridors and zero-emission zones.
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“Shipowners don’t need to adopt unproven, experimental ship designs to explore zero-emission options. By building on a platform with an outstanding track record at sea, operators retain all the core advantages of the CIP series: optimized hold volume, low fuel/power demand, and building flexibility. All this while unlocking electric capability for specific trade loops,” said Maarten Sickler, Conoship International Sales Director.
Established over seven decades ago, Conoship boasts of having over 2,000 ships being built according to its designs that give strong emphasis on efficiency and sustainability.
