VESSEL REVIEW | Green Munguba, Green Pecem & Green Suape – Pulp carrier trio to serve South America routes

China's COSCO Shipping recently took delivery of three new pulp carriers in a series built by affiliate company COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry.

Green Munguba, Green Pecem, and Green Suape are all named after three ports in Brazil, classed by China Classification Society, and registered to Liberia. Each of the vessels has an LOA of 225 metres (738 feet), a beam of 32.26 metres (105.8 feet), a depth of 21 metres (69 feet), a draught of 14.5 metres (47.6 feet), and a deadweight tonnage of 77,000.

Flexible cargo-handling facilities

The propulsion delivers a speed of 15 knots and a range of 25,000 nautical miles. The main and auxiliary engines are fitted with selective catalytic reduction systems and exhaust gas cleaning systems to comply with IMO Tier III and EEDI Phase III requirements.

Each vessel has eight cargo holds fitted with rotary dehumidification equipment and sealing and drying facilities. These will help ensure the quality of the wood pulp cargo as it is being transported.

Additional safety features for vehicle transport

In addition to transporting pulp, the holds may also be loaded with grain, iron ore, oversized steel pipe structures, project cargo, containers, and even Ro-Ro and rail vehicle cargo. Containers including reefer containers may also be placed on the main deck.

The holds also feature individual temperature monitoring and early warning systems that are used when transporting large quantities of electric vehicles. This is to help minimise the risk of onboard fires caused by the lithium-ion batteries fitted in the vehicles.

The ships have already begun serving trade routes off the western coast of South America. Green Munguba’s initial sailings saw it transport containers and construction equipment between Peru, Chile, and other neighbouring countries.