LLOYD

LLOYD’S REGISTER PREDICTS ADVENT OF 12,500-TEU CONTAINERSHIPS

LLOYD’S REGISTER PREDICTS ADVENT OF 12,500-TEU CONTAINERSHIPS

   London-based Lloyd’s Register has predicted that the size of the largest post-Panamax containerships will increase from the current size of about 7,000-TEU to 12,500-TEU.
   A study conducted by Lloyd’s Register and Ocean Shipping Consultants concludes that between 20 and 24 "ultra-large container ships" will be built by 2008.
   The giant vessels will be 380-meter long, up to 60-meter wide and will have a draft of 14.8 meters, the study said. They will carry 22 containers abreast on deck and move up to 123,000 tons of cargo.
   The study predicts a design speed of 23 to 25 knots, depending on whether the vessel has one or two engines.
   Lloyd’s Register said that the vessel costs for a 12,500-TEU ship operating on the Asia/Europe route would amount to about $192 to $198 per TEU, compared to $253 per TEU for a 4,000-TEU ship and $215 per TEU for an 8,000-TEU ship.
   The ultra-large vessel would save $92 million a year on vessel costs when carrying 1.5 million TEUs on the Asia/Europe trade, as compared to an Asia/Europe service using 4,000-TEU ships.
   However, the study said that the large capital-intensive ships would require higher port handling productivities in port to offset the disadvantage of slower port turnaround.
   The advent of "ultra-large container ships" would require a deeper draft and longer cranes to call at ports on major trades. However, major ports are already ordering quay cranes with a long outreach that are capable of handling very wide containerships, the study found.
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