MSC is the second biggest liner operator. An old-timer in container shipping, Captain Raffaele Langella, has worked for Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) for more than 25 years and was one of the early employees of Captain Aponte. Also in this issue: Carsten Rehder, Container Forum, Hull Structure course, Casualty information, DNV Navigator and Seakeeping.
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Date: 04 February 2008
The ‘One Million TEU’ mark was the heading in a shipping newspaper a few months ago. An old-timer in container shipping, Captain Raffaele Langella, has worked for Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) for more than 25 years and was one of the early employees of Captain Aponte.
“There will be 17 vessels in total – eight are newbuildings in the biggest newbuilding programme we have ever had,” says Thomas Rehder, the CEO of Carsten Rehder, Schiffsmakler und Reederei Gmbh & Co in Hamburg. “The vessels will be in the 1,100 to 1,800 TEU size, trading in Europe as well as Asia, the Americas and the Pacific Basin.”
Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada is a city with great ambitions and this will become clear for the world to see at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, which are to be hosted by the city. But this is not the city’s only ambition.
The structural response of a container ship is rather complex and the more the crew, superintendents, surveyors, fleet managers and technical directors know about this topic the better. Early detection is essential to avoid problems and the ship’s crew holds the key to safe shipping as they are always present.
The Casualty Information newsletter is published for the Maritime Industry with the seafarer and the practical people dealing with safety in mind.
DNV’s unique Parametric Roll Simulation model is a representation of a 2,800 TEU Panamax beam container ship which has been trading in the North Atlantic for several years.
The additional fatigue damage caused by the wave-induced vibrations of the hull girder, abbreviated as vibration damage below, has been a topic of concern for the industry for some time but still remains poorly documented. In response to this, DNV has over the past few years performed model tests and full-scale measurements on container vessels to investigate such vibration damage.
Speed, laytime in port and control of risks are familiar success factors in the container ship business. DNV Navigator is an electronic tool which reduces paperwork, time in port and delays due to red tape and rigorous regulations. It is a comprehensive information system and reporting tool.
Too often we read about containers being lost at sea. The value of the goods gives rise to concern on the part of insurers. Wrecked containers on the beach are seen on the front pages of newspapers. Are container ships dimensioned for the loads to which they are subjected? Can full-scale data recordings provide any reliable information?
After a further consolidation of rates in 2006, the charter market improved in the beginning of 2007. This happened despite the fact that the expected fleet growth in terms of TEU capacity still significantly exceeds the forecast demand growth in terms of port handling volumes. However, ISL stated already in the last Container Update that there are several mitigating factors allowing the market to absorb more static TEU capacity than previously anticipated. In addition, the order activity slowed down significantly in the last quarter of 2006, resulting in a shrinking order book. The economic prospects are slightly worse for 2007 but are still above average. All this at least allows us to think about market stabilisation.
