The MKV vessel’s 12 m wide stern ramp, which is the largest in the world, will have a 500 tonne capacity and a 7.1 m door height, giving Wallenius the ability to carry a greater range of breakbulk cargoes and also grow the carriage of roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) cargo volumes for the LNG industry.
The MKVs will be employed in the round-the-world liner service, which is a 110 to 120-day journey from Europe to the USA, on to Oceania, South East Asia, the Far East, then back to the USA and across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe. The ability to offer a regular, 10-day arrival frequency, as part of the liner service from the USA and Europe is second-to-none in the RoRo segment.
Environmental forerunner
The MKV vessels have been built to the voluntary class notation CLEAN and delivered with a CLEAN PASSPORT, which is an inventory of all materials potentially hazardous to human health or the environment, used in the construction of a ship.
The hull lines are optimised to give minimum resistance in calm water and waves. Extensive hull optimisation and model tank tests are undertaken to ensure good performance over a range of draughts reflecting the most frequently used loading conditions. Reduced resistance together with increased capacity improves the transportation efficiency by 10–15 percent compared to the previous generation of RoRo ships.
Fuel efficiency and a modern electronically-controlled main engine are also elements making the new MKV vessel one of the most environmentally friendly vessels in the world. The turbo generator system is estimated to cut the total annual fuel consumption by about 5–6 per cent.
All fuel oil tanks are protected against grounding and collision. The ballast water treatment, a five parts per million bilge water separator and biodegradable stern tube oil, contributes to reduced emissions to the sea.
Systems and equipment have been designed to minimise energy consumption. The vessel features a chill water air conditioning system, extra insulation in the accommodation block, dual speed water ballast pumps and several separate light zones in the cargo hold.
Oceania Breakbulk Sales Manager Matthew Jackson said “Wallenius continues to service the oil and gas industry, supporting Australia’s ambition to climb in the ranking of the world’s top LNG producers and we are proud to be able to do this in a more environmentally friendly manner.”