VESSEL REVIEW | Sofia, Olivia & Lovisa – Multi-purpose carrier trio for Baltic Sea steel coil transport

Finnish shipping company Langh Ship has taken delivery of three 7,800DWT mixed dry cargo/container vessels in a series. Sister ships Olivia, Lovisa, and Sofia were all purposely built to carry stainless steel coils produced in Finland by local company Outokumpu.

The newbuilds needed to be capable of withstanding the harsh winter conditions characteristic of the northern portion of the Baltic Sea, where Tornio is situated. The vessels were therefore built by China's Wuhu Shipyard to a design by Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute (SDARI) in compliance with DNV and Finnish/Swedish 1A ice class requirements.

Capable of reduced-emission sailings in the Baltic Sea

Each ship has an LOA of 119.9 metres (393.3 feet), a beam of 16.5 metres (54.1 feet), a draught of 7.2 metres (24 feet), a moulded depth of 10.4 metres (34.1 feet), and a gross tonnage of approximately 6,901. A 4,500kW (6,000hp) dual-fuel main engine that can operate on MGO, LNG, biodiesel, or biogas drives a controllable-pitch propeller to deliver a service speed of 14 knots. The propulsion setup also includes two auxiliary engines, a side thruster, and a Volvo Penta D13 generator, while a Langh Tech ballast water management system prevents the spread of invasive species through the water in the ballast tanks.

The auxiliary engines are equipped with selective catalytic reduction systems to meet IMO Tier III requirements for NOx emissions. One variable frequency shaft generator can meet the electricity demand during navigation, thus helping reduce energy consumption.

Design promising enhanced cargo transport flexibility

Each ship has two cargo holds. The larger hold is about 54 metres (180 feet) long and is equipped with movable transverse bulkheads suitable for loading in three positions, thus meeting flexible loading requirements. This hold also has a custom-built second deck to ensure more efficient loading and unloading of steel coils.

The two holds on each vessel can also be flexibly rearranged to transport other cargo such as containers. Up to 750 TEUs can be carried, and this number also includes reefer containers.

As these are multi-purpose ships built to satisfy extremely high requirements for cargo hold loading, full consideration was given to cargo hold suitability and loading flexibility throughout the design process. The design of the lift away hatch cover facilitates the transport of large items, including those measuring 90 by 15 metres (300 by 50 feet). The design and the application of the tween deck meanwhile ensure the rapid loading and unloading of steel coils and the maximisation of cabin capacity while promising economy and reduced environmental impact.

Olivia, Lovisa, and Sofia have since begun operational sailings in the Baltic Sea. These will be deployed along with three other vessels from the Langh Ship fleet on behalf of Outokumpu between the latter's factory in Tornio in Finland and Terneuzen in the Netherlands.