South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) has received the second approval in principle (AIP) from DNV GL for SkyBench, a new design for the maximising of large containerships’ cargo loading capacity.

SkyBench features a mobile accommodation block that is mounted on rails and can move over the span of two 40ft container bays.

The SkyBench allows for additional storage as it uses the void space beneath the sliding block, while safety of the vessel’s crew is improved by the buoyancy of the detachable design in-case the ship sinks.

“It has been a great pleasure for us to have the opportunity to work with DNV GL for the successful completion of this projects.”

The company noted that the bridge and three upper decks of a ‘twin island’ design containership can be built as a separate sliding block mounted on rails, which can move over the length of two 40ft container bays.

In combination with a resising and relocation of fuel tanks and the utilisation of the void spaces beneath the accommodation block in the traditional design, SkyBench allows the addition of two extra 20ft container bays.

The South Korean shipbuilder received a first AIP from DNV GL in June last year, confirming the classification society’s approval of the SkyBench concept design.

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In the second AIP, DNV GL verifies the strength and structural analysis including the overall finite element analysis, conforming to S11A rule, a partial ship analysis, an overall hatch corner’s relative deformation check, a spot fatigue check for several critical hatch corner locations, as well as a detailed analysis of the design with a solid model for the parking device.

HHI Shipbuilding Division Basic Hull Design Department senior engineer and team leader Im Hong-il said: “It has been a great pleasure for us to have the opportunity to work with DNV GL for the successful completion of this project for the past two years. We would also like to extend our appreciation for their two consecutive approvals of the SkyBench and their statement of witness for 2:1 scale SkyBench mock-up test.”

The company noted that it takes ten minutes for SkyBench to operate at port, using four electric drive train units to move the block backwards from its normal position.


Image: Hyundai Heavy Industries receives 2nd AIP for SkyBench. Photo: courtesy of Hyundai Heavy Industries