The efficiency formula behind Navibulgar’s fleet renewal
Navibulgar has spent more than a decade building a new generation of bulk carriers designed to outperform market standards. Working with DNV, the company has combined innovative design, fuel efficiency, and operational flexibility to create one of the youngest and most efficient fleets in its segment. When Navigation Maritime Bulgare (Navibulgar), a leading owner of ...
Navibulgar, a leading owner of bulk carriers, has been focusing on building a new generation of vessels designed to outperform market standards in terms of fuel efficiency and operational flexibility. In 2027, the company will complete a series of 16 nearly identical 45,000 dwt Handymax bulk carriers, with the last vessel, m/v Stara Planina, delivered on August 20. Additionally, 15 32,000 dwt "Lakers" have been commissioned since 2021, with the final m/v Stara Planina delivered on August 20.
Navibulgar's ambitious fleet renewal programme includes eight 71,000 dwt units to be constructed over the next few years, with deliveries starting in 2028 and continuing into 2029. The average age of the fleet is currently just 7 years, according to Executive Director Aleksandar Kalchev.
The company's approach to building efficient vessels is rooted in a concept developed in 2014, which involves creating vessels that outperform the market standard. Kalchev, who has been steering the company since 2013, collaborated with DNV, a classification society, to develop innovative hull designs for both the Handymax and Lake classes of vessels.
DNV's hull optimization technology enabled Navibulgar to achieve greater efficiency while lowering the environmental footprint of the vessels. Additionally, complex lightship recalculations were performed to reduce excessive material thickness in certain parts of the hulls, making the ships lighter than competing designs and increasing deadweight.
The newbuilds have a cubic capacity that is closer to that of larger Supramax vessels, thanks to optimized cargo hold subdivisions and precise shaping of cargo spaces. Navibulgar's new vessels also employ slow-steaming strategies, utilizing modern electrically controlled engines that can operate at very low revolutions, consume 25 to 35 percent less fuel than the company's older tonnage, and have shallow draught and strong cranes to increase flexibility and handle oversized break-bulk cargo.
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