VESSEL REVIEW | Advantage Serenity – Japanese-built Suezmax tanker boasts array of energy-saving features

Japan Marine United (JMU) has handed over a new Suezmax tanker to Swiss shipping company Advantage Tankers.

Advantage Serenity utilises JMU’s newly developed Suezmax tanker design that offers improved fuel efficiency and has reduced environmental impact compared with previous generations of tankers.

The newbuild has an LOA of 274.3 metres (899.9 feet), a moulded beam of 48 metres (160 feet), a moulded depth of 23.15 metres (75.95 feet), a deadweight of approximately 159,133, a gross tonnage of 83,010, a total cargo capacity of 173,336 cubic metres (38.13 million gallons), and a crew of 28. A Mitsui MAN-B&W 7S60ME-C10.6-EGRBP main engine drives two propellers to deliver a service speed of 14.5 knots.

Patented features for generating additional thrust

The vessel also has a number of JMU’s patented energy-saving devices, all of which have been optimised for this particular hull. Those technologies – which include an energy-recovering propeller duct, a bulb that can convert swirling water flow into additional thrust, and fins that manage inflow to the propellers – significantly improve propulsion performance and reduce fuel oil consumption.

The vessel also features a vertical bow that reduces wave resistance and low wind-resistance accommodation have been incorporated in the vessel to improve performance under actual sea conditions.

The vessel complies with EEDI Phase III requirements thanks to its hull form and its energy-saving devices. The vessel also complies with IMO Tier III NOx emission requirements and is equipped with an SOx scrubber to meet IMO SOx emission requirements.

Electronically-controlled engine and specialised coatings to reduce environmental impact

To comply with various environmental regulations, the vessel has an electronically controlled main engine, a ballast water treatment system, and an inventory of hazardous materials. Low-friction paint has been applied to the hull to reduce surface resistance, thereby help minimise fuel consumption over the same sailing distances.

The cargo tanks and the ballast water tanks are coated in accordance with IMO PSPC requirements, thus improving the vessel’s anti-corrosion properties. The ship also has tank capacities of 3,678 cubic metres (809,000 gallons) of fuel oil, 203 cubic metres (44,700 gallons) of lube oil, and 513 cubic metres (113,000 gallons) of freshwater.

Advantage Serenity is classed by the American Bureau of Shipping and sails under the flag of the Marshall Islands.