VESSEL REVIEW | Amadeus Saffier & Amadeus Sardius – Shortsea and inland multi-purpose carriers for Dutch shipping company

Dutch shipping company De Bock Maritiem recently took delivery of two new general cargo vessels in a series built by the Holland Shipyards Group to a design by naval architecture firm Conoship International.

Amadeus Saffier and Amadeus Sardius were developed to be capable of generating up to 50 per cent fewer emissions of CO2 compared to contemporary cargo ships serving shortsea routes.

Each ship has a steel hull, an LOA of 88 metres (290 feet), a moulded beam of 13.2 metres (43.3 feet), a maximum draught of five metres (16 feet), a depth of 7.2 metres (24 feet), a deadweight tonnage of 3,640, a gross tonnage of 2,585, and accommodation for seven crewmembers. The hold of each vessel measures 60.9 by 10.8 by 7.8 metres (200 by 35.4 by 26 feet) and has a volume of 5,100 cubic metres (180,000 cubic feet). There is also a deck for carrying containers.

Versatility for operation along many European routes

The vessels are also notable for having collapsible masts and height-adjustable wheelhouses that can be lowered completely. This will permit passage underneath low bridges, making the ships ideal for use on the Rhine River, the Albert Canal in Belgium, and other major inland waterways in Western Europe.

Both ships also have an “open-top” notation. This means that, at a reduced draught, they are allowed to sail with open hatches in order to accommodate cargo that exceeds the height limits of the hold.

The ships feature diesel-electric propulsion systems, which have been proven to significantly increase operational reliability. The propulsion setup on each ship consists of three Volvo generators that each produce 749 kW to drive a large-diameter propeller, in turn delivering a service speed of 10 knots at maximum displacement.

In combination with an advanced rudder design and optimised hull lines, the propeller delivers a high degree of efficiency and what De Bock Maritiem claims is one of the lowest possible fuel consumption levels in this ship class.

Future-proof design

Due to their modular design, the vessels can easily be converted to accommodate alternative energy sources, such as liquid hydrogen or ammonia, in the future. Conoship said that a switch of fuel type to future fuels is facilitated by smart arrangement design, where the requirements of the future fuels have been taken into account from the beginning of the conceptual design process.

The first vessel, Amadeus Saffier, is equipped with a Ventofoil wind-assist system to reduce its CO2 emissions even further. Amadeus Sardius has facilities to allow the installation of a similar system depending on the results of the use of the system on the earlier ship under typical operating conditions.