HD Hyundai
HD Hyundai has delivered what it says is the world’s first containership designed to eliminate manual lashing, removing one of the most labour-intensive jobs in container shipping.
The 13,000 teu vessel, which is methanol dual-fuelled, has been handed over toFrance’s CMA CGM after being built using HD Hyundai’s proprietary hybrid lashing-free system. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries developed and verified the core technology, while HD Hyundai Samho carried out detailed design and construction.
Conventional containerships rely on crews or shore workers securing boxes with steel rods and other lashing equipment. HD Hyundai’s new arrangement does away with that work by extending cell guides above deck, allowing containers to be held in place without traditional lashing.
The breakthrough centres on what HD Hyundai calls a portable bench, a standardised structure fitted between cell guides. The unit is the same size as a 40 ft container, meaning terminal cranes can handle it as part of normal cargo operations.
Containers positioned outside the cell guides are secured directly to the hull using a newly developed twist-lock routing system.
HD Hyundai says the design boosts deck cargo capacity by more than 10% compared with similar existing ships while improving operational stability in heavy weather. Sea trials in September also showed lower vibration than vessels using conventional hatch covers and lashing bridges.
The technology was presented to the IMO’s Sub-Committee on Carriage of Cargoes and Containers in 2024 and has since secured multiple patents.
The Korean yard plans to expand the lashing-free technology to small and mid-sized vessels soon.
source: splash247.com
