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.