Multi-fuel Baltic Enabler named in Zeebrugge

The world’s biggest ice-rated ConRo vessel Baltic Enabler was named at a traditional ceremony in the Port of Antwerp-Bruges held on 2 November 2022.

Baltic Enabler and her sister ship Botnia Enabler, owned by Swedish shipping company Wallenius Sol, are both icebreakers with a deadweight of 28,000 tonnes.

The multi-fuel vessels have the capacity to run on LNG, LBG, diesel and synthetic diesel. The 1A Super ice class ships have a cargo capacity of 6,442 lane metres (962 TEU) with room for trailers, containers, industrial loads and high or heavy project loads. The name Baltic Enabler has its origins in Wallenius Sol’s business idea of being an enabler for base industries around the Gulf of Bothnia and the Baltic Sea.

The two ships span 242 meters in length and 35.2 meters in beam, respectively, and can achieve a speed of 20 knots.

CIMC Raffles started working on the newbuild in June 2020 at its yard in Yantai.

ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS OF THE NEW VESSELS

• 57% reduced fuel consumption per transported unit
• 63% reduced greenhouse gas emissions per transported unit
• 99% reduction in oxides of sulphur (SOx), oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and particulate emissions (PM2.5) in comparison with the vessels being replaced (fuelled by MGO).

“These enormous RoRo vessels are a guarantee for our customers, their growth and their long-term planning. Thanks to the extra capacity, Zeebrugge will act as a hub for Scandinavia to an even greater extent than it does today,” says Theo Milliau, terminal manager at PSA Zeebrugge.

The Enablers will run weekly between Zeebrugge-Antwerp-Kokkola-Oulu-Kemi-Skellefteå and Travemünde. The energy-efficient multi-fuel vessels emit 63 percent less greenhouse gases than the vessels they are replacing, Wallenius Sol said.