Written by The German ocean carrier Hapag-Lloyd has embarked on a vessel enhancement program that will give a series of seven Samsung-built 8,004 teu sister ships a major mid-life upgrade.
Apart from a general overhaul, the shipping line’s seven T-class sisters will be converted to increase their nominal container intake by around 1,000 teu.
This will be achieved by cutting the ships’ superstructures in half and adding a prefabricated section that will raise the wheelhouse by two decks. In combination with raised lashing bridges and enhanced lashing gear, this will allow the vessels to carry an additional two layers of deck containers.
Hapag-Lloyd’s upgrade project has started with the 2012-built TUCAPEL, which entered drydock at Denmark’s Fayard Shipyard on 14 September. After six weeks at the Danish yard, the enhanced TUCAPEL is scheduled to re-join revenue service on 28 October at Southampton with a deployment on the transatlantic service ‘AL2’ of THE Alliance.
Next to the capacity enhancement, the upgrade will also see the ships fitted with new propellers from MMG. These will come equipped with the German manufacturer’s ‘energy saving cap’ which incorporates a set of fins that untwist the hub vortex and thus significantly reducing torque loss.
MMG claims that the cap alone can lead to fuel savings of 3% and, combined with a new propeller, the upgrade could reduce bunker consumption by 5% or more. On a nominal per-teu basis, the upgrade could reduce fuel consumption by 15% or more, assuming the ships are filled to capacity.
Hapag-Lloyd’s seven T-class sisters will be upgraded consecutively over a period of 14 months until late 2024.
Originally ordered by CSAV in 2007 and 2009 the series was delivered from 2011 to 2012. It comprises of the sisters TENO, TUBUL, TEMPANOS, TORRENTE, TUCAPEL, TOLTEN and TIRUA.
In a depressed market, CSAV did not need the seven ships at the time of delivery and it chartererd the entire series out to Maersk. Later, the sisters eventually became part of the Hapag-Lloyd fleet after 2014, when the CSAV and Hapag-Lloyd completed their merger.
The T-class ships are 299.90 m long and 45.60 m (18 rows) wide. They are powered by MAN-B&W 7K98ME-7 type main engines that deliver 43,610 kW for a top speed of 23 knots. Almost 20,000 kW of auxiliary power can supply electricity for up to 1,500 reefers.
Hapag-Lloyd is not the first carrier to convert ships to increase their intake. Similar ‘jumboization’ projects were already carried out by Maersk, Evergreen and CMA CGM. Other shipping lines also implemented vessel improvements on a smaller scale.
Excerpt from Alphanier news