Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics puts first post-panamax ship into service

Pure car-truck carrier has scrubber to meet emission standards.    Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics has put into operation the first in a series of eight post-panamax pure car-truck carriers.
   The company said the Thermopylae will make its maiden voyage from Asia to Europe, starting in the port of Hitachinaka, Japan and finishing in Bremerhaven, Germany.
   The roll-on/roll-off ship was built at the Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries shipyard in Mokpo, South Korea and is the first in a series of eight sister ships that will enter service through 2017.
    According to WWL, the ship has “five liftable car decks, allowing for more configurations for cargo of various sizes and hence increased capacity for cars, trucks, equipment and breakbulk. The vessels more shallow draft allows her to call ports with shallower depths, increasing her scope of service geographically.
   “Thermopylae design includes emission reducing features such as a streamlined bow, new Promas rudder and an engine configured to allow the vessel to operate more efficiently in a wider range of speeds and drafts,” the carrier added. “In addition, the vessel is fitted with an exhaust gas cleaning system that reduces sulfur emissions to below 0.1% in compliance with ECA regulations. This system also removes 70 percent of particulate matter, significantly reducing NOx emissions.”