Vertom's newest hybrid dry cargo vessel hits the water

Thecla Bodewes Shipyards in the Netherlands recently launched a new hybrid dry cargo vessel ordered by local shipping company the Vertom Group.

The 118.6-metre, 7,000DWT Vertom Joyce belongs to the same series as Vertom Cyta, Vertom Tomma, Vertom Lisa, and Vertom Willemijn. All five ships were designed by Dutch naval architecture firm Groot Ship Design for the transport of bulk, general, and containerised cargo.

The series will consist of ten ships, all of which were designed with optimised hull forms and hybrid diesel-electric propulsion. The propulsion on each ship is of modular construction to accommodate modifications that will allow the engines to run on future low-emission fuels such as hydrogen and methanol.

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 vessel is considerably lower compared to ships of equal cargo capacity and with conventional propulsion.