Damen debuts new biodiesel-ready combi freighters in Dubai

The Netherlands-based titan Damen Shipyards Group has delivered two combi freighter (CF) 5000 vessels to the Dubai-headquartered Squtrixo General Trading, with plans to hand over a third ship, a CF 3850, in the near future.

The Dutch giant has disclosed that this new series—described as an ‘improved version of the CF 3850—boasts a hold capacity of 7,000 cbm and can carry up to 5,160 tons of cargo. The delivery to Squtrixo is said to mark the 27^th handover of the ships.

As informed, the CF 3580 vessels themselves have been a ‘sought after’ choice for numerous ship owners and operators looking for more sustainable means of cargo transport.

Just a year ago, for instance, Germany granted a subsidy under the German Government’s Namkü directive, for fully electric, wind-assisted CF 3850s that were being built for German joint venture Gerdes Green and set to go under charter by Switzerland’s freight trader Cargill.

This funding reportedly went toward ameliorating the vessel’s design ‘to boost its efficiency’. The effort included preparing the ships for battery-driven propulsion.

Furthermore, Damen has emphasized that because of the “rising interest” in the freighters, the company joined forces with the Ba Son Shipyard in Vietnam to construct and relaunch the design with ‘better’ performance, suitable for both current and upcoming emissions regulations. The vessel production took place in China, at the Damen Yichang Shipyard.

Much like the CF 3850, the newly designed combi freighters are believed to be fuel-efficient, with some additional options to further ‘bolster’ its environmental credentials.

These include hybrid propulsion arrangements, as well as the option to operate on bio-diesel. Moreover, it is understood that the ships are ready for the installation of wind propulsion technology, among others, to ‘further slash fuel consumption and emissions’.

During the inaugural voyage of the two CF 5000s, Damen stated that monitoring performance was employed via the company’s onboard Internet of Things (IoT) system called Damen Triton.

The system works by collecting and analyzing data from sensors located across the vessel and, depending on the ship design criteria and benchmark information, the data could offer ‘important insight’ for understanding the maintenance requirements and the vessel’s operational capability.

For this latest development, Damen used Triton’s information to assess the new ships’ performance and gather important data for the ‘continual evolution of the design’, the company spotlighted.

“We are delighted to welcome Squtrixo as a first-time Damen client, and the launching customer of the CF 5000. Based on the information from the Damen Triton system onboard, we can see that the vessels are performing as expected. We are also confident that the CF 3850 will perform to the full satisfaction of Squtrixo,” Damen Commercial Director Cargo Vessels Remko Bouma commented.

Recently, namely in October this year, the Dutch shipbuilder revealed it had signed a contract to construct fourth CF 3850s for Germany’s family-owned shipping company Reederei Bernd Sibum.

Set to enter service in 2026, the 3,800 dwt hybrid-ready quartet is expected to offer a 30% uptick in fuel efficiency.

Just days later, Damen delivered the first in a series of three freighters the company is building for Germany’s shipping company Reederei M. Lauterjung and signed a contract for the construction of another vessel from the series. This particular CF 3850 was also the first of eight being built as part of an ongoing collaboration with the Ba Son shipyard.