Asia/Pacific News
Fuel Tanks are "Important Safety Aspect" of ULCSs
Classification society Bureau Veritas (BV) says it is considering safety issues unique to ultra large container ships (ULCSs) as it classes three of the ships being built in China.
Chinese shipyards Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding (SWS) yard and Shanghai Jiangnan Changxing Heavy Industry are building the vessels for China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), which will charter them to major container carrier CMA CGM.
BV said its class notations CLEANSHP and FORS certify the ships' environmental benefits.
"The latter incorporates special arrangements to ensure that the ship's fuel oil tanks are safely emptied in case of emergency, minimizing the risk of pollution," it said.
"This is an important safety aspect considering the size of the fuel oil tanks of ULCSs."
The 16,000 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) ships, due for delivery in 2015, will operate at a top speed of 23 knots.
BV worked with the Marine Design and Research Institute of China (MARIC) to design the ships.
Chinese shipyards, which have historically focused largely on bulk carriers, have been struggling to compete with South Korea in building higher-end and more fuel-efficient vessels.
BV said the ULCSs are "only a fraction smaller than the largest container vessels being built today in Korea," in addition to being fuel-efficient.
