World’s largest ice-rated multi-fuel ConRo delivered
Written by Nick Blenkey
Botnia Enabler is world's largest ice class ConRo ship
Chinese shipyard CIMC Raffles today delivered Botnia Enabler, the first of two multi-fuel Knud E. Hansen designed ConRo ships, to Gothenburg, Sweden, based Wallenius SOL.
“We’re incredibly pleased and proud to welcome Botnia Enabler to our fleet,” said Wallenius SOL managing director Ragnar Johansson. “The delays we suffered along the way are no secret, so finally seeing her leave port on her maiden voyage is a fantastic feeling. She’s been eagerly awaited by us and our customers.”
With a length of 242 meters, a beam of 35.2 meters and a cargo capacity of 5,800 lane meters, the ship is the world’s largest ice-rated multi-fuel ConRo. She will be loading cargo in two Chinese ports before the she heads home to Europe and the Gulf of Bothnia. According to calculations, Botnia Enabler will call at its first European port, Antwerp, at the end of June. She will then enter regular traffic on the Zeebrugge-Antwerp-Kokkola-Skellefteå-Oulu-Kemi-Travemünde route. Container carrying capacity on the route will increase by almost 300 per cent from 336 TEU to 1000 TEU compared to the ship currently serving the route, and RO/RO capacity will increase by almost 100 per cent.
The multi-fuel (LNG, LBG, diesel or synthetic diesel) Botnia Enabler is significantly more energy efficient per transported unit than older vessels, and according to Swedish Environmental Research Institute IVL’s calculations, will not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions on her route by 63 percent per transported unit, but also NOx (96 per cent), SOx (99 per cent) and particulates (99 per cent).
Her sister ship, Baltic Enabler, is scheduled for delivery later this summer.
