Fleet Renewal and Newbuilding Program

We have launched an extensive fleet renewal program, selling our old and less fuel-efficient vessels and investing in state-of-the-art newbuilding vessels. The orders for newbuild vessels were placed in top quality Japanese Shipyards. These vessels will have hydrodynamically optimized hull forms and will be equipped with energy efficiency devices to meet the requirements of EEDI, Phase 3. Moreover, they will be IMO NOX Tier III compliant, equipped with NOx abatement technologies such as Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) or Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR).

                                                            Upgrading our fleet

Further to our fleet renewal program, we are also assessing potential retrofits that could upgrade our existing fleet in terms of fuel efficiency. To this end, we cooperate with key industry players to carry out assessment studies and decide which technology is best suited to our vessels. Some of the technologies we are evaluating are:

– Alternative fuels and biofuels
– Wind assisted propulsion
– Wake equalizing ducts
– Propeller boss cap fins

– Dynamic biofilm protection
– Ultra-low friction antifouling coatings
– Variable frequency drives in pumps
– Voyage performance optimization

Digitalization

Our industry is being transformed as we enter the digital era, the socalled “Big Data” era. The information that will be provided can be used for the optimization of vessel’s operation. Data such as vessel speed, consumption and other machinery parameters will be reported and closely monitored on a daily basis. Our in-house engineering team will analyse the collected data to diagnose problems and prevent machinery failures that could potentially disrupt our operations. Safe Bulkers recognizes the importance of digitalization in sustainability and takes the step forward by launching a program for the digitalization of its fleet.