Ships of the Year

SHIPS oF THE YEAR
Sweden’s largest car carrier
The Fedora, with a capacity of 8,000
cars, was one of three ultra large car
carriers delivered to Wallenius Lines in
2008.
“These vessels are well planned,
I have to say”, says Sven-Åke
Andersson, master of the Fedora.
The Fedora is the last in the first batch of
three car carriers for 8,000 cars. Her elder
sisters Faust and Fidelio were handed over
in 2007. The following two car carriers for
Wallenius have the same capacity but are
of a slightly modified design with additional
heavy cargo decks and a larger main
engine. They were also added to the Wallenius
Lines fleet in 2008. Named Aniara
and Oberon – and a few metres longer
than the Fedora – they are now the world’s
largest car carriers.
The following batch of eight newbuildings
for Wallenius and Wilh Wilhelmsen
will be delivered in 2011 and 2012.
Cockpit-type bridge
On the bridge of the Fedora, the master’s
seat is placed just behind the workstations
of the mate and the pilot or seaman,
depending on the situation. The master’s
chair is not surrounded by panels and navigation
equipment like the other ones.
“I have everything on the screen”, says
Sven-Åke Andersson while showing a small
zapper.
“I have all the functions gathered here,
precisely the same functions as the navigators
have. In this way I can supervise what
they do, it’s called the cockpit system.”
The officer on watch has all the necessary
controls and equipment within reach and
he can choose which information is to be
shown on the screen. From there, it is possible
to monitor everything such as the ship’s
position, which cargo space fans and auxiliary
engines that are running and which watertight
doors that are closed. Of course all fire
alarms are shown there too. From the wheel
house there is a 360-degree angle view.
The interior is bright and spacious. A
glass-roofed light well is placed in the centre,
furnished with tables and couches.
From here you reach the mess, the master’s
and chief engineer’s offices as well as the
cabins, via a wide U-shaped corridor starting
and ending at the light well.
“We can accommodate 28 or 30 persons
on board, that’s great because we have
room for repairers and cadets. The crew
normally consists of 18 persons.”
13 decks in total
From the light well you can also reach the
top deck, in total the vessel has 13 decks.
If only loaded with cars, the Fedora has a
capacity of 8,000 units. But the vessel is
capable of carrying other goods as well,
as several of the decks are partly or fully
hoistable in different combinations. Four
of the decks are intended for heavy cargo
and they have a maximum free height of
38 SCANDINAVIAN SHIPPING GAZETTE • DECEMBER 19, 2008
FREDRIk DAVIDSSoN