MacGregor's Deck Equipment For Chinese Shipyard

MacGregor, part of Cargotec, has secured a comprehensive deck equipment contract from New Times Shipyard, in China, for Intership Navigation Co Ltd's three new 36,500 dwt Laker-class bulk carriers. The vessels will each feature an optimised MacGregor cargo-handling system comprising MacGregor cranes and hatch covers as well as Hatlapa steering gear and electrically-driven variable frequency drive (VFD) Hatlapa deck equipment.
 
"The MacGregor team supported Intership with its cargo-handling solution development at a very early stage with planning sessions, technical layouts and budget pricing, so that the shipowner could present the new ship concept further to the charterer," explains Hans Berg, Account Manager for Intership at MacGregor. "As a result of strong support from Intership, MacGregor received the order for full MacGregor equipment packages from the New Times Shipyard.
 
"Today's environmental standards and uncertainties in the global economy set new challenges for ship designs," adds Mr Berg. "These new ships will effectively be upgraded versions of Intership's existing Laker-class vessels."
 
The ships are expected to have a 20 percent reduction in fuel consumption in comparison with existing similarly-classed vessels. This is predominantly achieved through the use of an optimised hull form and propulsion system developed by DNV-GL consultancy company, FutureShip.
 
MacGregor's equipment package will also play a role in delivering more sustainable operations. The solution consists of hydraulically-operated folding hatch covers, four MacGregor electro-hydraulic cranes (2 x GLB3628 and 2 x GLB3626), a Hatlapa VFD deck machinery ship set as well as Hatlapa Triton 800 rotary vane steering gear. MacGregor deliveries are planned to start at the end of 2015 and continue into 2016.
 
Cyprus-based Intership Navigation manages a fleet of more than 80 vessels, mainly consisting of dry bulk and break bulk vessels, cement carriers and product tankers. The company's newbuilds will each have six holds and are purpose-built for specific trades and routes. "Over the years MacGregor has supported Intership in its newbuilding project cycles, from the initial newbuilding planning phase to ship concept design and through to the optimisation of the cargo carrying and handling capacities," notes Mr Berg. "Since Intership's establishment 1988, MacGregor has worked closely with the company and about 75 percent of its fleet is equipped with either MacGregor hatch covers and/or cargo cranes."