Siem Aristotle and Siem Cicero cross paths in the Chesapeake Bay

The Siem Aristotle and Siem Cicero crossed paths in the Chesapeake Bay earlier this month. The crew took advantage of the rare event by capturing photos of each other. Both PCTC giants are on their respective voyages, stopping in the ports of Halifax, Davisville, Jacksonville, Houston, and Veracruz. From Vera Cruz, they make their way up the coast of the United States again to load and discharge more cargo before heading back to Emden, Germany!

While the focus remains on the Siem Aristotle and Siem Confucius as being the first LNG-powered vessels of their size, the Siem Cicero is also doing its part to make automobile shipping a sustainable and environmentally friendly practice!

The Siem Cicero uses many GRP composite structures for cargo decks, which saves a considerable amount of weight. The reduction in weight of the vessel lowers fuel consumption, therefore reducing CO2 emissions.

Compared to traditional steel decks, the weight savings for the Uljanik-designed decks is 25% or 200 tons, at equal production cost. PCTCs of this type usually incorporate ballast to counteract their high center of gravity to fulfill stability requirements. So, reducing structural weight high up in the ship provides a double benefit. The result is a 4.5% lower fuel consumption or an increased payload (up to 800 tons). The Uljanik-designed vessel has the lowest fuel consumption per car-equivalent unit (CEU) of any PCTC in its class.

The Siem Cicero is also equipped with an exhaust gas cleaning system (EGCS), also known as a scrubber. This equipment removes sulphur oxides (SOx) from the exhaust gas of a ship’s engine and boilers. These sulphur oxides can have many negative effects on both human health and our ecosystems. 95% of the SOx emitted from the combustion of fossil fuel is sulphur dioxide. SO₂ is a toxic gas, which is directly harmful to human health. The environmental effect it has can occur further away from the emission source where the sulphur oxides will have converted to acids. These acidic aerosols are eventually precipitated as acid rain, snow, sleet or fog.