Dutch shipping company the Vertom Group formally named a new hybrid cargo vessel at the facilities of Royal T Shipyards on Thursday, July 24.
Vertom Tula, which was launched that same day, belongs to a series that also includes Vertom Cyta, Vertom Tomma, Vertom Lisa, Vertom Willemijn and Vertom Joyce. The ships were designed by Dutch naval architecture firm Groot Ship Design and are capable of transporting bulk, general, and containerised cargo.
The series will consist of ten ships, all of which will feature optimised hull forms and hybrid diesel-electric propulsion. The propulsion will be of modular construction to accommodate modifications that will allow the engines to run on future low-emission fuels such as hydrogen and methanol.
Upon completion, Vertom Tula will have an LOA of 118.6 metres, a beam of 14.3 metres, a draught of 6.3 metres, a box-shaped cargo hold with a capacity of up to 9,300 cubic metres, and space for 56 TEUs. The propulsion will deliver a speed of just over 11 knots.
In combination with an advanced power management system, the propulsion will help minimise energy losses as well as reduce overall fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
Vertom said that the installed power on each ship in the series will be considerably lower compared to ships of equal cargo capacity and with conventional propulsion.