MV Nabucco on reconnaissance in European waters

"With the Nabucco, a chapter is closed and at the same time a new step towards the future is taken,' says Emmanuel Van Damme, general manager of Wallenius Wilhelmsen Solutions' terminal in Zeebrugge. "Nabucco is the last ship in a series of four ships of what we call the HERO class. HERO is the abbreviation for 'High Efficiency RoRo'."

The garage decks demonstrate the efficiency of the design. On board, there are 13 in total, which can be configured in different ways according to the needs of the customers. This flexibility allows for a greater variety of cargo: from cars and high & heavy cargo to breakbulk cargo.

As a global player, Wallenius Wilhelmsen has seen customers looking to new areas that are still in the process of economic expansion. Nevertheless, ports in such regions are sometimes less developed. Therefore, the four HERO ships were designed with a smaller draft, so they can dock in more ports.

Thanks to the new, wider locks of the Panama Canal, the designers had the opportunity to develop a wider type of ship, which creates more cargo capacity without making the vessel longer.

The vessel also fits perfectly into WWL's philosophy of completely damage-free operations, also known as 'Zero damage'. The four HEROs were designed with a minimum of pillars between decks, making maneuvering easier and safer.

The large RoRo ramp aft is also a lot wider than on other ships (12 meters instead of 7 meters). This allows for a more efficient flow of traffic on and off the ship.

"Within conventional fuel technology, these ships realize a 15% reduction in fuel consumption", says Emmanuel Van Damme. "The reduction in fuel consumption was achieved primarily through a modified design. These vessels have a vertical bow and a sharper bulbous bow, which allows them to cleave the waves more efficiently."

"Since 2018, we have managed to reduce 33% of our emissions, which fits in with Wallenius Wilhelmsen's trajectory towards a 0% emissions future."

Nabucco on her maiden call in Zeebrugge on November 30, 2021.

In this development, the RoRo vessel 'Orcelle' obviously stands out the most. "This RoRo sailing ship will be ordered before the end of the year", Emmanuel Van Damme confirms. It may come into service from the year 2025. Orcelle is a Pure Carrier that will be powered by the wind.

"The futuristic and ambitious ship will take care of the transport of 7000 units." With a length of 220 meters and a width of 40 meters, it should be in no way inferior to the other units in the WWL fleet.

"It will be a nice addition to the skyline of the city of Bruges", explains Emmanuel Van Damme. "The masts will be up to 125 meters high, just a little higher than the Church of Our Lady!"