Hapag-Lloyd First to Convert Large Containership to LNG

German shipping major Hapag-Lloyd has revealed its plans to retrofit its 15,000 TEU ship Sajir to operate using liquefied natural gas (LNG).

The contract for the retrofitting was signed last week with Hudong HONDHOA Shipbuilding, the company said, adding that the conversion would be carried out in the Shanghai-based shipyard Huarun Dadong Dockyard.

During its time in the shipyard, the ship’s fuel system and its existing heavy fuel oil-burning engine would be converted into a dual fuel engine. The company’s plan would be to operate the vessel using LNG, but to also be able to use low-sulphur fuel oil as a backup.

“By converting the ‘Sajir’, we will be the first shipping company in the world to retrofit a container ship of this size to LNG propulsion,” Richard von Berlepsch, Managing Director Fleet Management at Hapag-Lloyd, said.

“By carrying out this unprecedented pilot, we hope to learn for the future and to pave the way for large ships to be retrofitted to use this alternative fuel.”

The Sajir is one of the 17 vessels in Hapag-Lloyd’s fleet that were originally designed to be LNG-ready. Its 16 sister ships are also technically prepared for retrofitting. With this conversion, Hapag-Lloyd would be implementing a technological option to reduce the environmental impact of large vessels.

 

APL Vancouver Hit by Fire off coast of Vietnam

The Singapore-flagged containership APL Vancouver suffered fire in the early morning hours of January 31, while it was sailing from Shekou to Singapore.

The source of the fire aboard the 115,060 dwt vessel is currently unknown, and no dangerous cargo has been loaded in the cargo hold as per the stowage information.

APL Vancouver still had signs of fire aboard on February 3 and firefighting action continued, OOCL cited data from the ship’s operator, Singapore-based container shipping company APL.

The company earlier informed that emergency response procedures were immediately activated by the APL team, adding that the company established continuous contact with the vessel’s Master and local authorities to coordinate all necessary actions to ensure the fire is safely and promptly extinguished.

The vessel was being attended by the Vietnamese Maritime Rescue Coordinating Center, fire fighters, firefighting tugs and a salvage master. APL Vancouver remains at anchorage off the Vietnamese coast.

APL could not confirm which containers were involved in the fire nor the condition of containers and cargo onboard the vessel.

There were no reports of injuries to the crew members aboard the 2013-built containership.

Unconfirmed media reports suggested that the vessel was loaded with around 4,500 containers at the time of the incident, more than a hundred of which were carrying hazardous materials.

Number of Lost MSC Zoe Containers Jumps to 345

The number of containers that fell from MSC Zoe in early January 2019 has jumped to 345, Dutch public works and water management department Rijkswaterstaat informed.

The authority cited the boxship’s owner, Swiss Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), as saying that the new assessment emerged after MSC Zoe’s remaining containers have been unloaded at the Port of Gdansk in Poland.

Initial reports suggested that around 270 containers were lost from the vessel in a North Sea storm on January 2, while MSC Zoe was on its way to Bremerhaven, Germany. The estimates grew to some 290 boxes after the ship docked in Bremerhaven for inspection and to offload damaged containers.

The final report on the missing containers is expected to be released next week, Rijkswaterstaat said, adding that the number of containers with hazardous substances remains unchanged.

The authority earlier informed that the majority of containers were found at two locations, spread over a length of 23 miles above the Dutch municipalities Terschelling, Schiermonnikoog and east of this line.

Only days after the incident, MSC pledged to pay the full costs of the cleanup of the MSC Zoe container spill. The shipowner added it would “ensure that the beaches of the Dutch and German coastlines are surveyed until all debris related to this incident has been cleared.”

 

Following Crane Collapse, Evergreen Boxship to Depart Vancouver

A container vessel which struck a gantry crane last week while docking in Vancouver, Canada, is expected to leave the port on February 7, 2019.

On January 28, the crane collapsed onto the 7,024 TEU Ever Summit at GCT Vanterm container terminal. The boom of the crane rested on container cargo.

An exclusion zone was set up and ship operations were halted while the scene was managed. There were no injuries reported.

“Operations recovery work at GCT Vanterm in the Port of Vancouver is now complete. The impacted ship-to-shore crane boom was removed from the vessel,” a spokesperson of GCT Global Container Terminals told World Maritime News.

“Subsequently, the ship was relocated to the appropriate position on the berth and is currently being worked on, with a focus on removing damaged Vancouver-destined containers,” the spokesperson added.

As informed, full vessel operations started by the 16:30 PST shift yesterday afternoon.

The vessel discharge is planned to be completed by Thursday morning, allowing it to depart for the next port-of-call. According to data provided by VesselsValue’s, Ever Summit’s next port of call is the US Port of Tacoma.

The Post-Panamax boxship was built in Japan in 2007 and is owned by Taiwanese shipping company Evergreen Marine Corp.

Source: World Maritime News; American Shipper