Photo credit: Ulstein


X-Bow design could help solve air draft challenges for boxships of the future


By Harry Valentine


The X-Bow allows for possible lower level forward placement of the ship’s control-bridge above and immediately behind the bow of future container ships. Such ships would carry containers to the rear of and stacked to higher elevation than the bridge, with telescopic air intakes that extend upward above the containers, located near the ship stern to supply air to the engine. The combination could offer greater operational versatility on select ship routes.


52 | The Report • June 2021 • Issue 96 INTRODUCTION


Container ships carry most of the world’s trade and despite the pandemic lockdowns being enforced in many countries and ongoing trade disputes with China, future trade moving aboard container ships is likely to increase. The closures of factories in China translates to factories producing consumer goods at competitive prices being opened in other nearby Asian nations, with major Asian container transhipment terminals processing greater numbers of containers within as little as a decade. In Egypt, the Suez Canal Commission has planned for a future where large container ships will sail along the canal.


Plans are underway to develop twin navigation channels at greater navigation depth to transit wider, deeper draft, slightly longer and slightly higher container ships built to 28,000 to 34,000-TEU capacity. Installing the ship control bridge


above the bow allows for higher stacking of containers while installing telescopic air intakes at the stern area would allow for air to flow above the containers and into the air intakes. Upon approach to a bridge, the telescopic air intakes would briefly retract. The dynamics of the X-bow when sailing through waves enhances prospects for forward located control bridges on future container ships.


PORT BRIDGES


Ships sail below bridges on approach to many ports internationally. While some bridges can be rebuilt to greater height as was the case with the Bayonne Bridge on approach to the Port of New Orleans, bridge rebuilding is sometimes not a viable option for mainly cost reasons. The combination of redesigning or reconfiguring a ship and modifying its route operations and schedule offers a possible solution at several ports internationally. The X-bow


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