The port of Le Havre has received one of the biggest vessels of the shipping company Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics
The maiden call of the Parsifal, the latest vessel of the Scandinavian shipowner’s fleet specialised in roll-on/roll-off traffic, took place on June 15th, at the ro-ro terminal of Le Havre. This giant of the seas, 265 m long, carries all types of vehicles, whatever the size and the weight, providing an unequalled capacity on this kind of vessels.
A ship designed to carry up to 10% more freight and specialised in « High & Heavy » cargo
The Parsifal was designed to offer a maximum of flexible areas suited for the transport of high and heavy cargo (H&H’s), such as bulldozers, tractors and project cargo. The ship guarantees a loading volume of 138,000 sq. m. owing to 9 decks, including 3 hoistable decks which can be raised depending on cargo features. This giant of the seas matches the shipowner’s ambition to provide loading for all kinds of cargo, thanks to an unprecedented design on this type of vessels dedicated to ro-ro traffic. According to Captain J. Stephen Chai, “the Parsifal is easily manoeuvrable, despite its overall length, owing to an efficient double bow thrusters system. This ship had been especially made to load heavy cargo by means of its stern ramp capacity of 505 tonnes and main deck height of 7.1 m. Accommodations had been moved forward in order to increase the capacity of loading High & Heavies on the weather deck.” As regards shipping services, the ship will call in 10 ports in the world in addition to Le Havre, from Northern Europe (England, Germany, Benelux) to Australia via New-Zealand, Polynesia and New-Caledonia. This new type of vessels completes the Seine artery offer in relation with the development of the Le Havre ro-ro terminal initiated by the RORO MAX project.
A reduction in CO2 emissions from 10 to 15%
The Parsifal benefits by the latest innovations in terms of limitation of the environmental impacts:
Increased fuel efficiency. « A turbo generator uses waste heat from the exhaust gas to generate electricity, avoiding utilization of generators at sea », J. Stephen Chai explained.
Reduction of fuel consumption. An electronically-monitored engine contributes to reduce the emissions and generates less soot than standard engines.
Protection of the marine ecosystems guaranteed by a finer treatment of bilge water.
Compliance with international regulations. The vessel sails the oceans with her ‘green’ passport. The Parsifal also meets the requirements of the ’Environmental Ship Index’ (ESI), with a score of 39. Let’s remind that the port of Le Havre has set up a system of ESI reward for environment- friendly ro-ro and container vessels.