Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) has received an approval in principle (AiP) certificate from Classification society DNV GL for its SkyBench concept for mega box ships.
The SkyBench concept is designed to increase the cargo capacity of large container vessels by constructing the bridge and upper three decks as a separate sliding block, mounted on rails, and with the option to move it over the length of two 40ft container bays.
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DNV GL Maritime CEO Tor Svensen said: "The SkyBench shows how the industry’s increased focus on efficiency and maximising transport capacity has really sparked innovation in design and operation.
"Additionally, the potential of this design to offset reduced cargo capacity when choosing LNG as ship fuel means that HHI can offer a design tailored to meet stricter sulphur emission limits in the future."
The new design is expected to provide two extra 20ft container bays by resizing and relocating fuel tanks, and using void spaces under the accommodation block.
With this change, the increased cargo amounts to 270TEU on a 17-row-wide, 10,000TEU ship; 450TEU on a 23-row-wide 19,000TEU ship; and 350TEU on a 20-row-wide 14,000TEU vessel.
Meanwhile, DNV GL has partnered with the Research Council of Norway, Kongsberg Maritime and Maritime Robotics for a new project that will study collision avoidance for advanced ships.
Led by the Department of Engineering Cybernetics at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), this AUTOSEA project will focus on automated situation awareness using sensor fusion to minimise collision risks when introducing increased levels of autonomy.
Image: DNV GL – Maritime CEO Tor E Svensen and HHI shipbuilding division senior executive vice-president and COO Yoon Moon-kyoon. Photo: courtesy of DNV GL AS.
