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Launch at German shipyard is
crowned with new orders
SSW’s newbuilding will become the standard for feeder freighters
SSW shipyard is setting new international standards in feeder
shipping. With the launch of the 152 metre-long “Anne Sibum“ on
Saturday in Bremerhaven, the first ship of the new ”SSW Super 1000“
series came off the slipway. This series has already come to be seen
as the new standard for all feeder freighters, with a container
capacity of a good 1000 TEU containers. In tandem with the launch the
Sibum shipping line, based in Haren Ems in Lower Saxony, Germany,
ordered a further two new ships, in addition to the two sister ships
of the of the “SSW Super 1000“ series, and placed options on two more.
Across the world 18 ships will therefore soon be under construction.
With an unusually high loading capacity and loading flexibility as
well as a low fuel consumption, the SSW Super 1000 is Bremerhaven’s
solution to the greatest challenges currently facing the shipping
companies. ”We have developed this type of ship with an eye on the
extremely rapid growth in the amount of containers in feeder traffic,
as well as on the constantly rising energy prices", said the
shipyard’s boss Karl-Heinz Jahncke. Experts estimate that the total
worldwide requirement for similar feeder ships in the years ahead will
be for around 1,500 ships.
The design for the ”Anne Sibum“ and her sister ships arose from the
close co-operation of the shipyard with the ship’s future owner Bernd
Sibum and with Vuyk Engineering of Groningen. Based on the shipping
company’s experience and its requirements, SSW and Vuyk have developed
a type of ship which, whilst having broadly similar dimensions to
those of conventional feeder ships, can nonetheless carry
significantly more containers.
With a total capacity of 1036 TEU, the SSW Super 1000 is able to
transport around 740 similar 20-feet containers, each loaded with 14
tonnes of cargo. The ship’s performance is thus significantly better
than that of larger conventional feeder ships. After making many
hydrodynamic calculations and model tank tests, SSW and Vuyk have in
addition succeeded in optimising the ship’s lines such that in order
to achieve a top speed of 19.3 knots using a moulded draught only a
small and economical 9,000kW main engine is required.
The ”Anne Sibum“ is the first of a preliminary order of two
newbuildings which Sibum ordered from SSW once the development work
was completed. After the shipping company had again satisfied itself
of the high quality of the SSW product before the launch, it signed a
contract with the yard for a further two ships plus another two
options for the SSW Super 1000 type, all of which should be delivered
by the end of 2009.
The construction of the ”Anne Sibum“, together with that of the other
new ships demonstrates that the shipyard has many strong partners
working with us, in addition to Vuyk and Sibum, Mr Jahncke was keen to
stress during a short address before the launch. This, he said,
applies particularly to the numerous suppliers within the region who
support SSW in a reliable and flexible manner.
Jahncke also underlined the fact that the yard's own workforce had
also made a decisive contribution to the success of the project. SSW
employs around 320 people. Together with the jobs at the various
suppliers, the SSW Super 1000 series alone is securing around 700
long-term jobs in the region. "The significance of the project in
terms of political labour market considerations and its importance to
the economy of the region as a whole was also one of the reasons why
NordLB became involved in it as a financial partner", Mr Jahncke said.
SSW’s new development has begun to create ripples far beyond the
Bremerhaven region. Because the shipyard is so busy that it is unable
to fulfil all the shipping companies’ orders on time, SSW Super 1000
type freighters are now being manufactured under licence in other
countries. In addition to the six ships under construction in
Bremerhaven, a further 12 are being built around the world.
”Anne Sibum“ and the ”SSW Super 1000“ series in detail:
Length: 151.72 m
Breadth: 23.40 m
max. draught: 8.00 m
Container capacity: 1036 TEU
Container Intake 14 to homogeneous: 740
250 40’ refrigerated containers in the cargo hold and on deck
High cube containers in all cargo holds
Hazardous materials containers
Main engine: 9000 kW four stroke
The ship can be built in several variants, with and without ice class,
with or without cargo gear and even with pontoon hatch covers.
Potential areas in which it could operate include the North Sea and
the Baltic, the Mediterranean and the Caribbean.
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