DNV okays Kongsberg’s future fuels-ready 2,000 TEU boxship design

Classification society DNV has awarded an approval in principle to Norwegian marine technology company Kongsberg Maritime for its future fuels-ready 2,000 TEU containership design.

The new design, known as Cobalt Blue features a range of innovative features for the container feeder market. These include an open-top deck, forward deckhouse, and a modular design which will ensure the vessel can easily be upgraded over time to transition through fuel types during the working life of the ship.

With the ship’s the modular design, there is room for adding future innovations. It can be built now with a dual-fuel main engine, that will run on LNG or diesel fuels.

According to the company, there is the possibility to switch to low-carbon fuels such as biogas, synthetic methane or ammonia in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The new ship has been designed in partnership with Deltamarin and its core aims are to offer shipowners a future-proof vessel that delivers efficiencies and sustainability benefits while preparing the sector for future developments such as the need to switch to alternative fuels to meet tighter emissions requirements.

“We’re delighted to have received Approval in Principle for this innovative design that can offer owners a truly future-proofed vessel in the container feeder market. This independent assessment of our design concept has confirmed that the Cobalt Blue, with all its innovative features, is a feasible proposition with no major obstacles to enable it becoming reality,” Oskar Levander, Kongsberg Maritime’s SVP, Business Concepts said.

“The container feeder market will need to go through fleet renewal in the coming years and owners will be carefully considering their options. With future emissions reductions in mind, future ships will have to include the use of alternative fuels and this design will enable owners to invest in a vessel that can evolve over time”.

“The vessel can easily be reconfigured to accommodate the additional tanks required for alternative fuels and there can also be room for battery containers to enable emission-free operation close to port.”

“We are thrilled about this jointly developed vessel concept and very pleased with DNV who provided valuable support during the design and AIP process,” Esa Jokioinen, Director Sales, Deltamarin added.

There is no requirement for heavy cargo hatches and the forward deckhouse will help protect the cargo from green water coming onto the ship.

The range of Kongsberg equipment on the vessel can also extend to include propulsion and control systems and an active stabiliser system with intelligent weather routing and steering to minimise the risk of cargo loss.

Recently, Kongsberg Maritime unveiled a range of new vessel designs in its UT Design portfolio, which now features next-generation anchor handler (AHT) and platform supply vessels (PSV), sporting the option to boost performance with alternative energy sources and fuels, such as methanol, ammonia, and hybrid-battery power.