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United Arab Shipping Company (UASC) has officially named the industry’s first ever LNG-ready ultra large container vessel. The 15,000 teu capacity Sajir is the lead vessel in UASC’s current newbuilding program, comprising 17 of the world’s most environment friendly containerships.
The DNV GL classed Sajir will start operating on the Asia–North Europe route after delivery. Ten further 15,000 teu vessels and six 18,800 teu class containerships will be delivered from Hyundai Heavy Industries and Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries to UASC by mid-2016.
Speaking at the naming ceremony in Ulsan, H.E. Salem Ali Al Zaabi, Chairman of UASC, said: “At UASC, we see efficiency as a key competitive differentiator in an increasing competitive market. Whether it stems from improving vessel design through our newbuilding program, strategic partnerships or empowering our people onboard and ashore to deliver improvements, efficiency pervades every facet of our expansion plans. Sajir perfectly embodies this ethos and as the first of 17 vessels in our current newbuilding program represents an important milestone in the evolution of UASC.”
The CO2 output per teu for this new vessel class will be 22 per cent less than that for a 13,500 teu vessel delivered only two years ago. The environmental credentials of the so-called A15 class are further highlighted by the fact that these vessels are designed and prepared for a quick and cost-efficient LNG retrofit at a later stage. This “LNG-ready” concept has been confirmed with an Approval in Principle from DNV GL as an industry first. The vessels will further receive DNV GL’s CLEAN class notation, which documents that the new generation ships comply with environmental regulations beyond today’s normal IMO, flag and class standards. They will also be provided with an Inventory of Hazardous Materials, which is not yet a mandatory requirement, and they are one of the first to receive an Energy Efficiency Certificate with documented EEDI. Moreover, all A15 vessels are equipped with an approved ballast water treatment system and a shore-to-ship power supply solution to enable zero emissions at berth, which is documented by the “Shore Power” class notation.
The A15 class vessels also deliver high standards of structural safety. The fatigue strength of the hull structure is based on the assumption of 25 years of operation in the North Atlantic, which is far beyond the normal standard. These ships will also be equipped with a DNV GL approved hull stress monitoring system that provides guidance to the crew on current stress level in the ship structure during operation.
