ABS gives AIP to dual deadweight bulk carrier design

Classification society ABS has granted Approval in Principle (AIP) to a dual deadweight neo-panamax bulk carrier design from the StandShip Joint Development Partnership (JDP).

ABS’ StandShip JDP partners include StandShip Ltd., SeaQuest Marine Project Management, Odense Maritime Technology, Mitsubishi Ship Building, IFCHOR and Bancosta.

The vessel is available in 86,000 and 95,000 DWT designs, and it is intended to be ready to order ‘off the shelf’ for charterers and operators looking for flexibility, ABS said.

The 229m design includes a 38m beam, almost four million cubic feet of hold capacity and a draft of either 13.5m or 14.55m depending on the deadweight option selected.

The design’s draft is expected to allow access to numerous coal, grain and bauxite trade routes across the globe.

The vessel design specifies that the bulk carrier is able to navigate with two slack holds and any combination of full or empty in the remaining five holds, offering increased options for operators.

An optimized hull form is intended to deliver enhanced fuel and speed performance.

“ABS has a proud record of supporting innovations in vessel design and this project from StandShip is the latest of them,” said Bill Shi, ABS Vice President, Global Engineering.

“We are confident the JDP will result in the most flexible ship in its segment, highly competitive on numerous trades with very economical performance thanks to state-of-the-art design and equipment,” said StandShip’s Director Sebastiano Portunato.