Asia/Pacific News
Evergreen Orders 10 Newbuild Eco-Boxships with 10% Reduced Bunker Consumption
Ten 2,800 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) class B-type vessels with advanced maneuvering capabilities and the ability to reduce fuel consumption by around 10 percent have been ordered by Taiwan's Evergreen Group, the company reported.
According to Evergreen, the vessels will be 211 meters long and 32.8 meters wide, with a design draft of 10 meters.
In order to achieve fuel savings, each ship will be equipped with Sea-Sword Bow technology from Taiwan-based CSBC Corporation, which will also facilitate optimum performance in a variety of navigational conditions.
Additionally, the wider hull design will reportedly enable the ships to navigate the shallower ports found in intra-Asian trade and therefore accommodate more cargo than standard vessels.
Other features include electronically-controlled fuel injection engines that will reduce NOx emissions by about 20 percent.
Evergreen's order for the vessels was co-signed with CSBC Corporation, and Bronson Hsieh, second vice group chairman for Evergreen, remarked that "After the negotiations of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) are concluded, the ASEAN countries, Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea, and New Zealand, are expected to remove trade barriers, enhancing bilateral trades and thereby boosting regional cargo growth.
"Our decision to invest in these newbuildings is aimed at providing for the growth potential brought about by this free trade development."
The first ship is scheduled for delivery during the second half of 2017, with the remainder expected by the first half of 2018.
Earlier this year, Evergeen announced it would be chartering 11 new bunker saving ultra-large container ships based on market demand and the capacity requirement for joint service.
