Utkilen’s new chemical tanker offers zero-emissions loading capacity

10,500 dwt Saltstraum is the third vessel in a series of four new chemical tankers ordered by Utkilen from Avic Dingheng shipyard in China.

Utkilen said the new ships represent a new era for chemical tankers which prioritise energy saving, efficiency and simple maintenance in all the onboard solutions. The company’s newbuilding director Leif Larsen said “The ships will sail along the Norwegian coast for many years to come. Although the vessels are built in China, most of the equipment comes from Norway and Europe, such as the Framo pumps. These ships are a long step towards the IMO 2050 targets.”

The main engines have been designed to use LNG, and the ships can be fitted with battery propulsion in the future. Saltstraum will emit 30% lower Co₂ emissions and 80% fewer NOx emissions compared to its equivalent predecessor vessels.

As with the other vessels in this series, Saltstraum also has capacity for zero-emissions operations when at quay. These are the first vessels of their type that allow for both loading and unloading operations using shore power.

The vessel features 14 different stainless-steel cargo tanks, all fitted with Framo pumps. The installation marks the 4,000th vessel currently in operation with Framo’s liquid cargo pumps.

Framo chief executive Martijn Bergink said “It feels like an extra special celebration of ship number 4,000 with our pumps when we have such a good, long lasting relationship with the customer.”

The Norwegian chemical tanker pool has expanded and in December 2019 Odfjell added new vessels to its existing fleet.

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