Oslo, Norway - Deep-sea roro vessel MV Traviata was officially named at a ceremony in Oslo by godmother Ine Eriksen Soreide, the Norwegian Foreign Minister. With a capacity of 8000 cars, the Traviata sets a new benchmark in terms of energy efficiency.

The Traviata is a deep-sea roro vessel, designed to transport cars, heavy equipment and breakbulk cargo that weighs up to 320 tonnes, is 6.50 meters high and 12 meters wide.

“The blue economy has been important for Norway for centuries. The story of Norway is a story about the ocean. We work continuously towards a sustainable blue economy. It is an honour to be the godmother of the M/V Traviata, an innovative and green vessel,” says the Norwegian Foreign Minister, Ine Eriksen Soreide.

Guests, including employees and representatives from the investor side and the financial community, attended the naming ceremony for the new post-Panamax HERO vessel, our most efficient RoRo to date.

MV Traviata
MV Traviata

“The Traviata sets a new benchmark in terms of energy efficiency, improving consumption with approximately 15%, resulting in considerably reduced emission levels compared to similar vessels in the global fleet. We work continuously to reduce our impact on the environment, and this is a good step on our journey towards zero emissions,” says Craig Jasienski, CEO of Wallenius Wilhelmsen.

The HERO class is aimed at reducing energy consumption by dramatically improving the cargo to ballast ratio; as the increased beam (36.5m) provides better stability, there is less need for ballast water. Extensive model testing has been performed to optimize the hull in order to diminish drag and wave resistance, improving fuel efficiency, while the engine has been tuned for low-load operation to reduce fuel consumption. Traviata is well prepared ahead of the IMO 2020 Sulphur implementation in that the bunker system can operate on different bunker qualities and segregations.

MV Traviata is the second of a series of four Post-Panamax vessels with a combined capacity of 24,000 CEU. MV Titus was delivered in June 2018, while the third is scheduled for delivery later this year, and the fourth in early 2020. Titus and Traviata are the first Large Car and Truck Carrier built at CSIC Xingang and the first Chinese built LCTC’s in the Wallenius Wilhelmsen fleet. The vessels are part of the Wallenius Wilhelmsen fleet renewal program, replacing older tonnage to increase overall fleet efficiency.  

The Traviata has sailed from Asia to Oslo via the Suez Canal and European ports and will after the naming be heading to North America after loading in Europe.