Vale Valemax
A very large ore carrier: a ship class designed around one mining company's logistics.
Overview
Valemax is a very large bulk carrier class designed to move iron ore. Bulk cargo is unpackaged material discharged straight into holds; it needs neither containers nor tanks, but loading and unloading depend entirely on port equipment.
Ore is a dense cargo: the ship reaches its weight limit before the holds fill. Holds are therefore relatively small and the hull reinforced; badly distributed ore creates local stress in the structure.
The class also illustrates how ship size locks together with port capability. As the number of callable ports falls, the ship specialises for a particular route — the point at which economy of scale is traded for flexibility.
Details
- Brand
- Vale
- Category
- Bulk Carrier
- Body
- Bulk carrier
- Propulsion
- dizel
- Produced
- 2011–