Qingdao Beihai completes intake boost refit for SFL’s ‘San F’ vessels
Conducted over six months, the upgrades are expected to reduce fuel consumption by around 20% (Source: Quingdao Beihai)
Qingdao Beihai Shipyard has rounded off a six‑month retrofit campaign on SFL Corporation’s DSME‑built sisters San Felix, San Felipe, San Fernando and San Francisca.
Undertaken during the ships’ planned ten‑year special surveys, the yard’s brief centred on raising wheelhouses and lashing bridges to add an extra tier of deck stowage. The modification lifts each ship’s nominal capacity from 8,714 TEU to 9,500 TEU without impinging on stability margins or visibility requirements.
Additional work included covered structural steel inserts, new lashing foundations and adjustments to accommodation trunking, allowing the quartet to remain in drydock for just 32 days each – well inside contractual limits. Main engines, the MAN‑B&W 9S90ME series, were also tuned for lower specific fuel oil consumption, complementing scrubbers that Qingdao Beihai installed at the vessels’ previous five‑year docking.
According to owner SFL, the combined hydrodynamic refinements and intake upgrades will cut fuel consumption by around 20% per container, a performance target since verified in sea trials off Qingdao. Funding for the upgrades has been secured through charter‑party adjustments, reflecting liner clients’ appetite for greener, higher‑capacity tonnage.
