AMSTERDAM

THE SHIP
TEXT: LISETTE VOS
PHOTO: MAX DIJKSTERHUIS
THE VESSEL
IN NUMBERS
Green driven
Every year, the Amsterdam port
area hosts thousands of ships, each
with its own story and cargo. This
section highlights one particular
ship – in this issue, sustainable car
carrier Drive Green Highway.
Drive Green Highway, an innovative and
sustainable car carrier, is the flagship of the
Drive Green Project by Japanese shipping
company K Line. The vessel is its way of
showcasing a sustainable future for shipping:
Drive Green Highway brings together so many
smart technologies that its CO2 emissions are
25% lower than a conventional car carrier.
The vessel has only recently been completed:
Drive Green Highway was launched on 14
February in Yokohama, Japan. It arrived
in the port of Amsterdam, as its first ever
visit to a Dutch port, less than two months
later. The massive hold has space for 7,500
cars, but the ship also carries other cargo:
several earthmovers were unloaded at the
VCK Terminal/Waterland, for instance. The
vessel left for Teesport (UK) after a day, as
scheduled.
The shipping company K Line has created a
futuristic movie (available on YouTube) which
illustrates all the innovative technologies
deployed on the ship. A striking element is
the modern design of Drive Green Highway,
especially when compared to conventional
car carriers, which are often described as
shoeboxes. A car carrier is usually large
and hugely sensitive to the wind, while the
dynamic design of Drive Green Highway
reduces wind resistance and improves
stability.
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
Obviously the name refers to the green
(i.e. sustainable) nature of the ship. Drive
Green Highway is the first sustainable car
carrier in a series of ten ships made for
the Drive Green Project of the Japanese
shipping company K Line. As the first of
the carriers, only Drive Green Highway
will have all the innovative techniques
mentioned above, and will act as a
testing ground for future applications.
For more information, see www.kline.
co.jp/en/movie/1203779_2645.html.
Gross register tonnage:
76,387
Maximum speed:
20 knots (service speed: c. 18 knots)
Length:
200 m
Beam:
37.5 m
Draught:
up to 9.9 m
Capacity:
more than 7,500 cars
Sustainable technologies
A prominent feature of the ship is the 900
solar panels on the deck, which together
generate sufficient power for the LED lighting
on board. Other sustainable technologies
help reduce fuel consumption. For instance,
the use of a special coating reduces drag by
20%. The design of the propeller – based on
a new type of calculations – provides another
boost to efficiency.
Innovative technologies in the car carrier
significantly reduce emissions of sulphur
and nitrogen. Ship fuel often contains a lot
of sulphur, and the rules for emissions have
become more stringent since 1 January 2015.
Drive Green Highway features an advanced
scrubber which rinses exhaust gases, while
innovative technologies in the engine
significantly reduce nitrogen emissions.
AMSTERDAM SEAPORTS 2016 43