U-Ming names LNG-powered Capesize pair destined for Anglo-Eastern

Chinese shipbuilder Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding hosted a naming ceremony for two LNG-powered bulkers built for Taiwanese bulk carrier company U-Ming Marine.

The two Capesize bulkers ( 187,300 dwt and 210,000 cbm) were named Ubuntu Harmony and Ubuntu Equality during an online ceremony held simultaneously in Singapore, Taipei, and Shanghai.

The two dual-fuel LNG-powered bulkers, classed by Det Norske Veritas, are equipped with two C-type LNG fuel tanks. Each vessel is 299.80 meters long, 47.5 meters wide, 24.70 meters deep, with a design draft of 18.25 meters and a design draft speed of 14 knots.  Based on the data from Vesselsvalue, the two ships have a market value of $56.5 million and a newbuild value of $65 million each.

The ships are fitted with MAN Energy Solutions’ high-pressure ME-GI engines with drastically reduced methane slippage.

A total of four LNG-fuelled bulkers were ordered by U-Ming from Shanghai Waigaqiao in 2020 and they have been chartered by mining giant Anglo-American on long-term deals of 10 years each.

Anglo American has set an ambition to achieve carbon neutrality across its controlled ocean freight activities by 2040, with an interim 30% reduction in emissions by 2030. The said vessels are expected to provide 35% reduction in carbon emissions when compared to standard marine fuel. 

Two more vessels from the 187,300 dwt batch, Ubunutu Integrity and Ubuntu Loyalty, are slated for delivery from Shanghai Waigaoqiao in 2023.

The shipbuilder said that the vessels’ gas cruising range reaches 20,000 nautical miles, enabling them to complete two round-trip routes from China to Australia or one round-trip route from China to Brazil. The ships are expected to bunker LNG in Singapore.

The naming ceremony rounds up a busy year for the shipyard as it transitions toward low-carbon and zero-carbon shipbuilding. LNG has been the preferred choice of alternative fuels for shipowners at this stage as other solutions still have to mature to become mainstream. So far this year, SWS has also delivered six dual-fuel power (LNG) large ships, including the world’s first dual-fuel Newcastlemax bulk carrier and dual-fuel Aframax tanker.

The latest two fleet additions are being welcomed into the fleet by U-Ming on the back of another recent bulker delivery. Namely, at the beginning of November U-Ming took delivery of Cape Mercury, a 210,000dwt Capesize bulker built by CSSC. The fuel-efficient bulker is fitted with a MAN main engine and is compliant with the IMO Tier III NOX requirements and has a 30pct lower baseline than Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI).