VESSEL REVIEW | Guoyuan 701 – China’s Fujian Guohang to operate large bulker on sea and inland routes

A new bulk carrier was recently handed over to Chinese shipping company the Fujian Guohang Ocean Shipping Group.

Guoyuan 701 (国远701) was built by Jiangsu Haitong Offshore Engineering Equipment in compliance to China Classification Society rules. The ship is the first in a new series of bulk carriers designed to be capable of environment-friendly operation, primarily along Chinese domestic routes. The hull is linearly optimised according to the constraints on navigation in the Yangtze River, though the vessel itself can also safely navigate in the open ocean and the cargo hold capacity has been significantly improved.

Fitted with efficiency-enhancing features

The newbuild has an LOA of 225 metres (738 feet), a beam of 36.5 metres (119 feet), a hull draught of 12.5 metres (41 feet), a depth of 18.8 metres (61.6 feet), a gross tonnage of 45,276, and a deadweight tonnage of 76,000. The main engine has a total installed power of 6,950 kW (9.320 hp).

The hull has vortex elimination fins, features that can help reduce wind resistance, and other energy-saving technologies. The result is an EEDI of around 45 per cent lower than the baseline.

Also fitted is an energy management system that will enable the crew to monitor the level and consumption of fuel oil in real time. High-power water pump frequency conversion technology is meanwhile used to automatically adjust the pump load in conjunction with any change in ambient temperature to achieve the goal of energy saving and emissions reduction.

Guoyuan 701 and its sisters were built to a design by the Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute (SDARI). The vessels' acquisition is in line with Fujian Guohang's ongoing program of fleet renewal, which entails the acquisition of 30 environment-friendly ships including both 73,800DWT and 76,000DWT newbuildings. The deliveries of these bulk carriers will take place over five years at a rate of one new ship every one to two months.