Harren Group and SAL Heavy Lift launched MV Elise, the first of five planned Orca class heavy-lift vessels, at the Wuhu Shipyard in China at the end of July. The vessel is methanol-ready and has fully electric cranes.
The Orca class vessels are specifically designed to meet the stringent demands of heavy lift shipping while minimising carbon emissions. They were developed in close cooperation with SAL’s joint venture partner, Jumbo Shipping (Schiedam, the Netherlands).
The launch event marks a highlight of years of dedicated research and collaboration among industry leaders, including Wuhu Shipyard and DNV class, states SAL. According to the company, the vessel not only leads in capacity and efficiency, but also in environmental responsibility.
Orca class
The vessels measure 149.9 m x 27.2 m and provide a capacity of 14,600 DWT. Despite their compact outer dimensions, the vessels have a box-shaped single cargo hold with the largest dimensions in its class. Provided the hatch covers with a capacity of 10 t/m2 are not utilised for stowing super-heavy deck cargoes, such as 3000-t cable carousels, the vessels can accommodate over-height cargo in the hold and sail with open hatch covers up to full scantling draught.
Ice class notation 1A, a Polar Code certification and the reduced design temperature of the hull and equipment allow the ships to safely operate in cold conditions as well.
Also read: SAL and Jumbo order carbon-neutral heavy-lift project vessels together
Dual-fuel engines ready for green methanol
In addition to an optimised hull design, the Orca vessels will have an innovative propulsion system consisting of compact and efficient main engines and a diesel-electric booster function. Compared to other heavy-lift vessel designs, this hybrid setup features the widest available range of economic speed settings and redundancy.
At a service speed of 15 kn, the vessels will consume significantly less than 20 t of fuel oil per day – similar to far smaller-sized and geared MPP vessels. Alternatively, the vessels will be able to trade at a slow, ultra-efficient speed of 10 kn at 6 t while still being able to reach a maximum speed of 18.5 kn for urgent deliveries – if a windfarm installation vessel is waiting for an urgent component delivery, for example.
The vessels are equipped with dual-fuel engines, which means that they can use methanol as an alternative fuel. If green methanol becomes available in key ports as anticipated towards the end of the decade, the Jumbo-SAL-Alliance will be able to offer carbon-neutral transport solutions.
Pioneering emission reduction technology
NaMKü (“Sustainable Modernisation of Coastal Vessels”) funding from the German Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport allows SAL to utilise pioneering technology in the vessels innovative power train with the target on highest efficiency and significant emission reduction. Among other eco-friendly effects, this will lower NOx emissions ten per cent below the IMO Tier III level while undercutting EEDI phase 3 limits for CO2 emissions by 21 per cent.
Also read: Intermarine joins Jumbo and SAL’s heavy-lift shipping alliance
LS 800 E crane
The LS 800 E will be the largest ship crane Liebherr has built to date. The recently launched crane is designed for the ever heavier and larger cargo. Moreover, the all-electric drive concept supports vessel operators in saving CO2 emissions. It is SAL Heavy Lift’s first newbuilding project with Liebherr.
The crane manufacturer was actively involved in the development of the Orca class from day one. Since the “Orca” class of ship breaks new ground in many respects and will significantly raise the bar in the relevant transport segment, the crane developers were also challenged to rethink many details in addition to general requirements, and performance parameters.
Also read: All-electric cranes for SAL and Jumbo’s new heavy-lift Orca class
All-electric cranes
Apart from fulfilling the demanding operational requirements and different cargo scenarios, the new Liebherr cranes enable significant savings in smart interaction with the innovations on the ship side. The new LS 800 E actively communicates with the ship’s power management system and thus enables intelligent energy utilisation.
Recovered energy is fed back into the ship’s energy system and stored so that it can be released when energy consumption is high again. This leads to a noticeably reduced fuel consumption and a considerable reduction of CO2 emissions on the Orca ships.
The entire power electronics of the drive system are installed inside the cranes. This allows the limited space below deck to be used for other purposes and facilitates the integration of the crane into the ship’s design.
Picture and video by SAL Heavy Lift.
Also read: Jumbo and SAL to enter into heavy lift joint venture
