BG Ireland - Single-Deck Container Vessel

The BG Ireland was built at Volharding Shipyards in Eemshaven, based on a hull supplied by Daewoo Magnalia Heavy Industries of Romania. It is owned by Unitas Schiffahrtsgesellschaft. The BG Ireland is a single-deck container vessel with a raked stern and bulbous bow. The forecastle deck is covered to minimise potential green water problems.

The vessel has a length of 134.65m, or 125.6m between perpendiculars, as well as a moulded breadth of 21.5m. The depth to main deck is 9.3m, it has a 7.1m draught and its gross tonnage is 7,680t.

The container vessel is equipped with both wing tanks and double bottom tanks, which are used for oil storage. The fore and aft peak tanks are used for ballast water and fuel oil while freshwater is stored in the aft peak tank. In total, the vessel can store 734m³ of heavy fuel oil, 112m³ of gas oil, 4,908m³ of ballast water and 81m³ of freshwater.

HOLDS AND CONTAINER CAPACITY

The hull structure is essentially composed of transverse and longitudinal frames, especially stiffened in the forecastle to accommodate the vessel's high-speed.

The cargo storage section consists of three holds with a width of 18.5m. Holds 1 and 2 are 25.5m long while hold 3 is 28.5m long. Hold 1 has a height of 13.2m while the others are 18.5m high. All the holds are covered by steel weather-deck hatch covers, folded by hydraulic cylinders.

The BG Ireland's container capacity (TEUs) is 750 units. The three cargo holds have movable cell guides, which allow storage of 20ft, 30ft, 40ft, 45ft and 49ft containers. The maximum stack load in the cargo holds is 69.8t for 20ft containers and 70t for 30ft containers while the maximum allowed weight on the hatch covers is 60t to 70t for the 20ft containers, 80t for 30ft containers and 90t for the remaining units.

PROPULSION

The main propulsion system is a MaK 8M43 medium speed diesel engine which can develop 7,200kW at 500rpm. This is linked to a Flender Navilus GUCP 900 reduction gearbox and onto a four-bladed Lips controllable pitch propeller with a diameter of 4.6m. The Heavy Fuel Oil treatment system for IFO 380 oil includes transfer pumps and booster units, purifiers and thermal oil heaters as well as a 700kW thermal oil boiler economiser and thermal expansion tank.

POWER

Electrical power is principally provided by two main generator sets, consisting of 371kW marine diesel engines driving a Stamford HCM534C2 generator and a 1,150kW Stamford type HCM 734F2 unit. This can provide 440V three-phase, 230V three-phase and 230V 60Hz 24VDC current.

NAV AIDS

The wheelhouse lies on top of a five-tier deckhouse. The Nav Aids include an ARPA radar, an EPA radar, two Inmarsat C terminals, two GPS Navigators, a GMDSS radio telephone system, two radio telephones with DSC modems, an echosounder, a doppler speed log, a Navtex receiver, a weather chart receiver, two radar transponders, a gyrocompass, repeater compass, magnetic compass and autopilot.

LIFESAVING SYSTEMS

There are a number of lifesaving systems on board based on a crew of 16 persons. These include two 16-person rafts and a 6-person man-overboard rescue boat with outboard motor. There is also a variety of firefighting systems such as hoses and a CO2 and smoke detection system for the engine room.

The vessel is listed by Germanischer Lloyd under the notation +100 containership, Solas 11-2, reg.54+MC AUT.