St. Lawrence  –  Great Lakes Seaway shipping line Algoma Central Marine is spending $300 million on new ships, including six that will be 45% more fuel efficient per cargo tonne/kilometre than existing vessels. These ‘Equinox-class’ lakers  provide Wärtsilä with a $12 million ground-breaking order for complete propulsion packages that come with fully integrated fresh water scrubber systems.  The lakers to be delivered by China’s Nantong Mingde Heavy Industrial Stock Company shipyard over the next couple of years are designed to lift 30,000 dwt of bulk cargo, wheat and ore, for carriage through the seaway to the American heartland in ‘Lakers’ hallmark slim 225 m long hulls. Algoma Equinox-class Laker: Image credit – Algoma Central Corporation Replacement of the St Lawrence Seaway FleetsThe big three fleet operators, Algoma Central, Canada Steamship Lines and Fednav, all with relatively elderly ships, have been s... [More]

'Emerald', a Midsize concept bulk carrier of 35,000 dwt, designed jointly by Bestway Marine Engineering Design of Shanghai and classification society Lloyds Register, bettered by 18% existing performance of standard bulk carriers as measured by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) 'Energy Efficient Design Index' (EEDI) according to the project leaders' announcement on 1, February 2011.It may be helpful to explain briefly 'EEDI', since it provided base measure for the  'Emerald' design team's work, and an associated new regulatory development also seems worth mentioning here.Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI)EEDI relates to efforts by IMO to limit global warming through pollution of the environment by marine engines, allowing a specific figure for an individual ship design to be calculated by means of a fairly complex formula. It is expressed in grams of CO2 per ship's capacity-mile, and a smaller EEDI value indicates a more energy-efficient ship design. The far more co... [More]