Wallenius Marine christens newest Sleipner-class vessel, charting the course toward sustainable transatlantic shipping

September 24, 2024, by Sara Kosmajac

Swedish ship design and management company Wallenius Marine has christened its latest 6,500 CEU pure car and truck carrier (PCTC)—based on the Sleipner concept—Future Way, in Emden, Germany, marking a ‘significant’ development for sustainable shipping between Europe and North America.

Wallenius Marine has christened its Sleipner-class vessel, Future Way. Courtesy of: Wallenius Marine

The 200m long Future Way, which utilizes the power of German engine manufacturer MAN Energy Solutions’ ‘future-proof’ engines—is the first of two vessels that will operate under charter for Volkswagen Group Logistics.

The carrier—previously known as 537 Hull—was engineered based on the Sleipner concept, which is the result of joint efforts of Wallenius Marine and Danish naval architect company Knud E. Hansen. The two companies had developed it for the Volkswagen Group.

“As Volkswagen Group Logistics, we want to be pioneers in climate-friendly logistics. The Future Way and its sister ship, Way Forward, not only emit less CO2, but also fewer nitrogen oxides, soot particles, and sulphur oxides, leading to better local air quality,” Simon Motter, Head of Volkswagen Group Logistics, shared.

“The innovative design of these vessels results in lower fuel consumption and allows us to reduce emissions even further today until alternative fuels made from green energy hopefully become more broadly available in the next decade.”

During the construction, the engineers fitted the vessel with several hydro- and aerodynamic features aimed at minimizing its environmental impact. The Sleipner design itself reportedly boasts a number of paths toward greener shipping. One of the features is the fact that the vessel can cross the ocean without ballast water in loaded condition.

When putting down pen to paper in the initial phases of the concept design, the parties involved in the project said that one of the biggest reasons behind the collaboration was to discover an ‘improved’ way for more sustainable shipping. One of those ways was addressing one of the basics in ship design: the need for ballast.

Cargo vessels use ballast water to balance their weight and keep them stable. According to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), around 10 billion tons of ballast water are transported every year, requiring extensive spending on fuel to log the extra weight around and spreading invasive species, thus risking local eco systems.

As per Wallenius Marine, although the UN International Ballast Water Convention from 2017 entails stricter rules on the management of ballast water, many purify it with chemicals.

Owing to its Sleipner-based design, the projections are that Wallenius Marine’s Future Way would not just cut on fuel consumption due to its lighter weight, but also keep the marine environment intact as it sails across the Atlantic.