Isle of Man Ship Registry adds four new energy-efficient Berge Bulk vessels to fleet

October 10, 2024, by Aida Čučuk

The Isle of Man Ship Registry (IOMSR) has registered four new energy-efficient Newcastlemax bulk carriers from Singapore-based dry bulk owner Berge Bulk.

Courtesy of Isle of Man Ship Registry (IOMSR)

Under the IOMSR green registration fees regime, Berge Bulk will receive a 10% reduction on the annual registration fee for the vessels.

The four 211,000 dwt Newcastlemax carriers are the Berge Mauna Kea, Berge Mauna Loa, Berge Haleakala and Berge Hualalai, built by Imabari Shipbuilding in Japan.

As disclosed, each of the ships runs on 6% lower fuel consumption compared to their predecessors and is 40% more efficient than similar vessels built in 2008. The ships come as part of the company’s bid to be zero emissions fleetwide by 2025 and to build a fully zero emissions vessel by 2030.

With a combined dwt of over 844,000, the vessels incorporate a smaller main engine, designed to maintain higher operating speeds and optimal maneuverability. This is achieved by new low-load tuning, which combines sequential fuel injection and exhaust gas bypass tuning for optimized specific fuel oil consumption while reducing harmful emissions.

The vessels also feature an upgraded hull design, tailored to optimize performance, as well as an advanced stern gear system with a rudder bulb and a custom propeller duct to enhance propulsion efficiency.

All of these elements are said to enable 15% lower fuel consumption than other Newcastlemax vessels in Berge Bulk’s fleet.

Berge Bulk plans to further the four ships’ energy efficiency credentials by implementing power management, propeller fouling prevention and high-frequency data collection systems for performance monitoring, alongside an advanced voyage optimization system. This means that the ships meet the latest MARPOL regulations around air pollution. Moreover, according to IOMSR, the vessels are fully compliant with Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) Phase 3 in advance of IMO requirements, which applies to ships of 400 gross tonnage and above engaged in international voyages.

The ships travel between Australia, Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, China and Brazil, which are trade routes known for having favorable wind conditions.

Starting out with 12 vessels in 2007, the Berge Bulk now owns, operates and manages 90 “safe and fuel-efficient” vessels, equating to more than 15 million dwt in the water. More than half of the active vessels are IOMSR flagged.

IOMSR Director Cameron Mitchell welcomed the four new vessels to the Isle of Man flag: “We’re very proud to see these four ships join the IOMSR. We’ve worked closely with Berge Bulk on this project and we are both passionate about driving the decarbonisation agenda by embracing the latest technologies in line with the IMO 2050 GHG targets. These vessels are deploying a wide variety of energy efficient technologies and it has been brilliant for our surveying team to work with Berge Bulk registering and fine tuning all these cutting-edge innovations.”

Mitchell added that this is the second major green technology project the IOMSR has worked on with Berge Bulk in the last year, stating: “We feel we’re generating a lot of momentum with Berge Bulk pioneering the use of the latest technologies. We also helped deliver the Berge Olympus, the world’s most powerful sailing cargo ship to the IOMSR following a retrofit. This project saw four WindWings installed on the Newcastlemax bulker. We look forward to continuing our innovative partnership with Berge Bulk as it works towards its very ambitious sustainability goals.”

To note, the IOMSR believes that the maritime industry has a collective responsibility to respond to the climate emergency. To that end, it joined the Getting to Zero Coalition, an alliance working towards decarbonizing the international maritime shipping sector.