An Efficient Single-Screw 11 000 TEU Containership: The Suez Max SS

Abstract

The ability to transport containers with the least cost at currently required service speeds of approximately 25 knots to maintain a regular operating schedule is the goal of every post-panamax containership operator. The desire to carry more containers is driven by several economies of scale and their implications, which allow for significant savings. A single-screw containership, the Suez Max SS, is designed and evaluated against existing designs that include the P & O Nedlloyd Southhampton, Maersk S-Class, and the twin-screw Suez Max, which is a concept vessel. The containerships are compared using several different ratios and a cost per 20-ft equivalent unit (TEU) evaluation. The design of the Suez Max SS was built to the maximum draft currently allowed by the Suez Canal Authority. An initial stability analysis is performed that utilizes five different container loading conditions. A cost analysis that involves capital, operating, port, and fuel costs and Suez Canal fees is also completed. The four vessels are evaluated on a round-trip schedule between the ports of Rotterdam and Singapore with the same voyage characteristics and conditions. The Suez Max SS is found to be a more economical design with savings of approximately 25% over the existing vessels and a 15% savings over the concept vessel evaluated in the cost analysis. The Suez Max SS utilizes its economies of scale and the advantages of a two-port schedule that allow it to be such a cost-efficient design.