VESSEL REVIEW | Seaboard Verde – LNG-fuelled containership trio to serve Central America routes
Taizhou Sanfu Shipbuilding in China has handed over three new LNG-powered ultra large containerships (ULCS) in a series ordered by US shipping company Seaboard Marine.
Seaboard Verde, Seaboard Voyager and Seaboard Victory belong to a series of eight containerships ordered by Seaboard Marine from the same builder. The superstructure on each vessel is prominently placed near the bow to provide significantly improved visibility from the bridge even when transporting a full load of containers.
Flexible dual-fuel propulsion arrangement
Each ULCS has a steel hull, an LOA of 249.7 metres (819.2 feet), a beam of 36 metres (120 feet), a draught of 7.5 metres (25 feet), a crew complement of 21, a deadweight of 52,520, a gross tonnage of 45,976, and a capacity of 3,500 TEUs including over 1,000 reefer containers.
Each vessel's propulsion arrangement includes one MAN 7S70ME-C10 dual-fuel main engine that can run either LNG or MGO, MAN 6L32 and 8L23 generators, and a Cummins NT855-M emergency LNG generator. The controllable-pitch propeller was also supplied by MAN while Alfa Laval Aalborg provided the auxiliary boiler.
Seaboard Marine said that the dual-fuel vessels prioritise the transportation of perishable cargo with efficiency and reliability, and that LNG is used as the ships’ primary fuel in line with the company’s aims of reducing emissions and minimising environmental impact.
Greater transport coverage within the Western Hemisphere
Design work on all three ships was undertaken by German naval architecture firm HB Hunte Engineering in compliance with DNV class rules.
They will sail under the flag of Liberia and operated on Seaboard Marine’s rotation across North and Central America including the ports of Moin in Costa Rica, Colon in Panama, Kingston in Jamaica, Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, and Philadelphia and Brooklyn on the US East Coast.
The acquisition of the three newbuilds brings the total number of LNG-powered ships in the Seaboard Marine fleet to nine, all of which will be operated throughout the Western Hemisphere. Management of the ships will be the responsibility of Hartmann Dry Cargo Germany.
