On April 11th, the conversion project of “Mahanadi”, the largest self-unloading vessel in the world in terms of deadweight tonnage, was formally started in Chengxi Shipyard Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC).
It is understood that India Synergy Group is one of the world’s leading ship management companies, managing more than 600 ships. Mahanadi is a 105,000 dwt super-Panamax bulk carrier owned by the company, with an overall length of 253.5 meters and a beam of 43 meters. After the conversion, Mahanadi will become the largest gravity self-unloading vessel in the world in terms of deadweight tonnage, and the unloading efficiency can reach up to 7,000 tons/hour.
The conversion project mainly includes one new gravity unloading system, living area renovation, three generators, one bow thruster and two reverse osmosis water makers for new ones, which involves more than 5,000 tons of steel works and more than 70 kilometers of cables, and it is expected to be delivered at the beginning of 2025.
Compared with bulk carriers, self-unloading vessels have many advantages: efficient automatic unloading, low requirements for port facilities, and significant economic benefits for shipowners.
Gravity self-unloading vessel utilizes the principle of gravity to carry out rapid and continuous self-unloading operation.
The cargo hold is usually designed in bucket or slope structure, the cargo flows continuously from the opening at the bottom of the cargo hold to the closed conveyor belt without external assistance, which can unload a large amount of bulk materials efficiently and automatically, especially suitable for the sea transportation of granular or lumpy bulk cargoes, such as ore, coal, sand and gravel.
Chengxi Shipyard has entered the field of self-unloading vessel conversion and repair since 1998, and it is one of the earliest shipyards in China to participate in the field of self-unloading vessels.
It has completed 29 self-unloading vessel conversion projects and nearly 50 self-unloading vessel repair projects, and has transformed and upgraded from self-unloading vessel conversion to independent research and development and construction, with systematic and comprehensive self-unloading vessel repairing and building technology, capability and experience.