HRP20000439A2 - A transport ship - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a transport ship (20) having a hull comprising a sheathing (22), a weather deck (23, 23') and a hold (28, 28', 30), and having a front part (35), a rear part (25) and a central part (29). The ship is unique in that the front part (35) of the ship comprises a hold section (28') defined by the hull and the weather deck (23'), and access hatches provided in the weather deck (23') to give access to said hold section (28'), that the rear part (25) of the ship comprises a hold section (28) defined by the hull and the weather deck (23), and access hatches provided in the weather deck (23) to give access to said hold section (28), that the central part (29) of the ship comprises a refrigerated hold section (30) defined by an upper thermally insulated refrigerated hold deck (130), a thermally insulated bottom and by thermally insulated walls (132, 133...) extending in the transverse direction and longitudinal direction of the ship, and in that the weather deck (23, 23') is adapted to support a cargo.

Description

The proposed invention aims to solve the problem of making a transport ship that enables a large load capacity and adaptability with a unique layout of the storage part for refrigerated products or storage for liquid products.

In the first basic embodiment, the proposed invention relates to a transport ship having an armored hull, and an upper deck, and having a front part, a rear part and a middle part.

Typically, the rear of such a ship has a superstructure deck with the ship's navigation bridge and the means necessary to propel the ship, including machinery and fuel tanks, while the forward part of the ship houses the bow and stores, if any. The central part of the ship includes a storage space, which is constructed in accordance with the specific type of goods being transported. The storage area can therefore be designed specifically for the transport of one particular type of goods, including eg refrigerated products, liquid gas, dry cargo, oil or for containers. Especially in recent times, the possibilities of using transport ships for the combined transport of the above-mentioned types of goods are very limited.

To achieve an increased adaptability of ships to a certain degree for the transport of goods, so-called Ro-Ro ships have been developed over the past twenty years, with an upper deck for the transport of containers in particular and with several intermediate decks that can be used for the transport of trailers or, for example, vehicles that can be loaded using feed ramps.

However, when considering so-called reefer ships, specially adapted for the transport of goods that must be refrigerated, in the past it was not possible to achieve optimal adaptability and capacity. In particular, the conventional structure of reefer ships and the assessment of stability have placed limits on the quantities of additional types of goods that can be carried and on the conditions under which such goods can be carried. Refrigerated ships are typically equipped with internal refrigerated storage space for most of the hull length, see eg European Patent Application no. 0 601 233, whereby a relatively large number of intermediate decks with a small free height are located in the mentioned refrigerated warehouse. The reason is that the goods are mostly stored on pallets and are not stacked one on top of the other. Goods can be, for example, bananas, lemons or plants that must be kept chilled during transport. These goods are typical loads that are transported over long distances, for example from South America to Europe.

Keeping in mind the above, efforts were made to design reefer ships so that they can carry standard containers, placed one on top of the other on the upper deck of the ship. This results in somewhat increased adaptability, as the ship can then be used to transport chilled goods as well as surface goods, which can give increased earnings per voyage. However, these reefer ships are not suitable, as certain loading situations can increase the ship's stability problems during the voyage. These problems can arise when the ship is sailing on the return journey without refrigerated goods, but with surface cargo, such as containers. Since typical surface cargoes take the form of containers of much greater weight than the corresponding volume of refrigerated goods, stability considerations set a limit to how high containers can be stacked on top of each other on the upper deck, even when sailing with refrigerated goods.

The aim of the proposed invention is to provide an improved transport ship with which, with less stability problems, different combinations of goods could be transported, of which at least one type should be conveniently transported in a cooled form, while at the same time it is possible to transport larger quantities of other goods. In this connection, different combinations of goods mean shipping with or without refrigerated goods, and also, if necessary, it must be possible to transport at least one type of goods, especially in the form of standard containers. This gives a high degree of adaptability, so that the ship owner can achieve higher earnings per voyage compared to known reefer ships.

This goal is achieved according to the invention by the fact that the front part of the ship has a storage area bordered by the hull and the upper deck, and access openings are provided in the upper deck that allow access to the aforementioned storage area, that the rear part of the ship has a storage area bordered by the hull and the upper deck and access openings provided in the upper deck that allow access to the aforementioned storage area, that the central part of the ship has a cooled storage space bounded by an upper, thermally insulated cover of the cooled storage, with a thermally insulated bottom and with thermally insulated walls that extend in the transverse direction and in the longitudinal direction of the ship , and that the upper deck is adapted to carry cargo.

When the ship is constructed in this way, then it is also possible to sail without goods in the refrigerated warehouse, because the rest of the goods can be spread relatively low towards the keel on each side of the refrigerated warehouse in the longitudinal direction of the ship. At the same time, a favorable metacenter height can be maintained, because only the rear draft of the ship changes. In order to avoid damage to the insulated walls, with conventional reefer ships, the rest of the goods must necessarily be carried on the upper deck, because the centerline height of these ships is very unfavorable when sailing without refrigerated goods in the storage area.

According to a particularly advantageous embodiment, the upper cover of the refrigerated warehouse is located at a height above the upper deck by between 20% and 200%, preferably between 50% and 150% of the theoretical depth of the ship measured to the upper deck. In this case, the theoretical depth is measured from the baseline of the ship. This can achieve approximately the same load volume for refrigerated goods as in a traditional reefer ship of approximately the same length, and the refrigerated storage area can be easily thermally insulated. Furthermore, the sunlit area of the refrigerated storage area will be smaller compared to a traditional reefer ship when sailing without surface cargo. In traditional reefer ships, the sun's energy falls on the entire upper deck, which delimits the upper limit of the refrigerated storage space approximately along the entire length of the ship. This also makes it possible to reduce the energy required for cooling. If necessary, the width of the ship can also be slightly larger than the width of a traditional reefer ship.

In addition, it is advantageous that the insulated walls run in a transverse direction bordering the storage area in the front and/or rear of the ship, and that, if necessary, the thermally insulated walls run in a longitudinal direction also bordering the hull armor. This results in optimal use of the ship, as natural walls are used to delimit various storage areas.

It is particularly advantageous that the cover of the refrigerated warehouse is adapted to carry cargo, and that the ship's navigation bridge and crew quarters are provided on the upper cover of the refrigerated warehouse. In this way, all horizontal surfaces can be used for carrying other types of goods, especially containers. When the navigation bridge is placed in the middle of the ship at the same time, even very tall containers can be placed on the upper deck, because the current maritime rules, which refer to the direction of the ship's officer's view towards the horizon, are still respected.

It is also advantageous that part of the refrigerated warehouse is equipped with intermediate decks and that the distance between intermediate decks is approximately 2m - 3m, preferably approximately 2.25m approximately 2.5m. This enables the transport of goods on pallets with optimal utilization of the cargo volume, because the unused space between the upper side of the pallets and the lower side of the intermediate deck is greatly reduced. In addition, as with conventional reefer ships, the intermediate decks can usefully be constructed as a grid, so that cooling is done by air circulation.

When, according to a particularly advantageous design, the access to part of the refrigerated warehouse is equipped with thermally insulated walls, primarily on the longitudinal walls, then loading and unloading of refrigerated goods and surface cargo can be carried out at the same time.

Further, the length of the refrigerated section of the hold may advantageously be between approximately 20% and 50%, more advantageously between approximately 25% and 45% of the overall length of the ship. At the same time, the longitudinal walls of the cooled part of the warehouse extend to a large extent only within the hull area, where the armor is almost flat, which simplifies the construction of wall insulation.

In order to obtain symmetrical load conditions, to thereby ensure favorable stability in terms of trim moment, it is advantageous for the thermally insulated walls that delimit part of the cooled warehouse to go symmetrically around the central part of the ship and the central line of the ship's plane.

Finally, it is advantageous to provide openings for access to the storage compartments mainly along the entire width of the storage compartments. The storage compartments in the front and rear of the ship can thus be filled and emptied in principle in the same way as on conventional container ships.

In another basic embodiment, the proposed invention relates to a transport ship adapted for the simultaneous transport of cargo consisting of (i) a liquid, especially oil, and (ii) a number of containers, as well as (iii) if necessary at least one additional type of goods, whereby that transport ship has an armored hull, a bottom, an upper deck, and a tank for storing and transporting said liquid, as well as a fore, aft, and center section. In this regard, containers are considered to be standard containers of the type generally used for the transport of goods on container ships.

The prior art (see e.g. DE-A-2 462 202) includes several examples of tankers which have an oil tank designed for crude oil and which enable the simultaneous transport of additional types of goods during one and the same trip. The rear of these ships usually includes the superstructure deck with the ship's navigation bridge and means of propulsion/including machinery and fuel tanks, while the front of the ship includes the bow. The central part of the famous ship includes an oil tank, the boundary walls of which can be formed from the ship's armor. The central part of the ship additionally includes several warehouses designed to accommodate additional types of goods. As above, the oil tank is bounded with the upper deck of the ship and this is also the case with the mentioned stores.

However, previously it was not possible to achieve optimal adaptability and capacity with these ships. Therefore, therefore, these ships are unsuitable, because the volume capacity, i.e. the volume of goods that can be carried, for additional types of goods can only be achieved by using the volume capacity for crude oil. When the ship is sailing without crude oil, it can only transport the amount of additional types of goods that correspond to the volume capacity of the warehouses provided for that type of goods. Neither when sailing with additional cargo and oil, nor when sailing with additional cargo alone, the ship is not used optimally.

The aim of the proposed invention is to provide an improved transport ship with a high cargo capacity, which enables the transport of various combinations of goods, of which at least one type is liquid, while the simultaneous transport of a significant number of standard containers and, if necessary, additional types of goods, such as general burden. It must also be possible to transport containers and, for example, general cargo in relatively large quantities, without this causing any significant reduction in volume capacity for liquid, i.e. the volume of liquid that can be taken, in relation to a conventional tanker of appropriate dimensions and appropriate construction cost. At the same time, when transporting, for example, oil, the owner of the ship can achieve a significantly higher profit per trip than per trip with well-known tankers.

The above objective is achieved in accordance with the invention so that the ship includes a number of storage compartments bounded by the bottom and the upper deck, wherein said storage compartments are adapted to store containers and/or as necessary additional types of goods, that the upper deck is adapted to carry containers, that access hatches are provided on the upper deck that allow access to the aforementioned storage compartments, and that the liquid storage tank extends from the area near the bottom of the ship upwards to a height above the upper deck. It is advantageous to predict that the total volume capacity of the tank generally corresponds to the volume capacity of the tank on a conventional tanker that has a hull of appropriate dimensions.

When the ship is constructed in this way, it will also be possible to sail without liquid cargo, because the rest of the cargo can be arranged relatively low to the keel on one or both sides of the liquid tank in the longitudinal direction of the ship. It should be noted that this can maintain a favorable height of the metacenter for normally occurring load combinations, because only the draft of the ship will change significantly with a change in load conditions. As only a small part of the hull surrounds the liquid tank itself, the risk of liquid leakage in the event of a collision is reduced compared to conventional tankers.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, the tank has a total volume capacity between approximately 5,000 and 100,000 m3, preferably approx. 40,000 m3, while the storage compartments are adapted to accommodate a total of at least 200, preferably at least approx. 450 standard containers. A ship of such specifications will typically have dimensions that allow navigation through the Panama Canal.

In particular, when the forward part of the transport ship includes one of the mentioned storage compartments, the rear part of the transport ship includes one of the mentioned storage compartments, and the middle part of the transport ship includes a tank, symmetrical shock loading of the ship can be ensured under all loading conditions.

In addition, it is advantageous for the storage compartments to have transverse walls that are mostly vertical, and which directly touch the tank, if necessary with intermediate cofferdams (barriers), and that the walls of the storage compartment that extend in the longitudinal direction of the ship are formed from the armor of the ship's hull. This ensures optimal use of the ship, as the natural walls are used to delimit various warehouses.

It is particularly advantageous for the tank to consist of several independent compartments which, if necessary, can be cylindrical, box-shaped or spherical, thus obtaining the same advantages as on conventional tankers. Cylindrical sections can be arranged so that their longitudinal axes are vertical or horizontal.

According to a particularly advantageous embodiment, the tank extends upwards to a height above the upper deck by between 10% and 200%, preferably between 50% and 150% of the theoretical depth of the ship measured to the upper deck. In this case, the theoretical depth is measured from the baseline of the ship. In particular, the tank may extend upwards to an upper deck height of at least 10 meters, preferably at least 15 meters and/or may be constructed so that its volume above the upper deck is at least 20%, preferably between approx. 40% and 60% of the total tank volume. This results in a favorable volume capacity ratio for the respective parts of the load.

In order to achieve conditions of relatively symmetrical loading and thereby ensure favorable stability in terms of the ship's trim moment, it is advantageous for the tank to extend symmetrically around the central part and in the plane of the centerline.

Finally, it is advantageous if the access openings are provided for the storage compartments mainly along the entire width of the storage compartments. In this way, the storage compartments can be filled and emptied in the same way as on conventional container ships.

The implementation of the invention, as defined in the first and second basic version, aims to optimize the load capacity and adaptability of transport ships by applying the same general concept so as to obtain an optimal storage arrangement for refrigerated products or for a container with liquid goods.

The invention will be explained in more detail below by comparison with the preferred embodiment shown in the drawing. Thereby:

Figure 1 shows an example of a known type of reefer ship, seen in a partially vertical section, i

Figure 2 shows an advantageous embodiment of a reefer ship in accordance with the first basic embodiment of the invention, seen in a partially vertical longitudinal section, and

figure 3 shows an example of a known type of tanker viewed schematically in a partially vertical longitudinal section, and

figure 4 shows an advantageous embodiment of a transport ship in accordance with the second basic embodiment of the invention, viewed schematically in a partially vertical longitudinal section, and

Fig. 5 shows the embodiment of Fig. 4 in more detail, viewed from the side and equipped with a container including vertical, cylindrical sections.

The first basic embodiment of the invention

Figure 1 shows a known reefer ship 1 having an armored hull 2, an upper deck 3 and a storehouse 10. The reefer ship 1 has a rear section 5 which includes the machinery required to propel the ship and a superstructure deck which includes personnel spaces 6 and a navigation bridge 7. In addition, the ship 1 has a forward part 15 with the bow and deck of the ship, and a central part 9 with a refrigerated warehouse 10. The refrigerated warehouse 10 is bounded with thermally insulated walls and a thermally insulated bottom, and also the adjacent upper deck 3 is thermally insulated above the refrigerated warehouse 10.

The refrigerated warehouse 10 additionally includes a number of intermediate decks 11, which are shown in dashed lines and can be constructed as a lattice, with the clearance between these intermediate decks being typically approximately 2.25 m. This clearance is chosen in accordance with the height of standard refrigerated pallets. goods, eg a banana, and the intermediate decks 11 are usually also constructed to allow forklift operation. In the example shown, the ship 1 has four intermediate decks 11 and the height of the ship 1 from the baseline to the upper deck is chosen so that the desired number of intermediate decks can be provided. The filling and unloading of the refrigerated storage 10 can be carried out by means of an elevator or cranes, by means of which the refrigerated goods marked with a dashed line can be carried from each intermediate deck 11 to the access doors provided on the side of the ship at a level above the CWL water line, or as necessary to the opening on the upper the deck.

The upper deck 3, which also represents the upper cover of the hull, also serves as a bearing surface for the load 12, which is marked with dotted lines in the drawing, and which normally consists of containers stacked one on top of the other and attached by a rope to the upper deck 3. The height of the stacked of the container 12 is usually limited partly by the stability of the ship towards the transverse inclination, and partly by international maritime rules according to which the line of sight 4 from the navigation bridge must reach the surface of the sea at a distance from the bow equal to the length of the ship.

The reefer ship shown can therefore be used to transport refrigerated goods as well as containers. However, it is clear that the stability of the ship will be significantly affected if the refrigerated warehouse 10 is empty and only containers are carried on the upper deck 3. This will typically be the case on the return journey. In order to compensate for this load situation, in many cases normally up to 30% of the load capacity of the ship, ballast tanks are installed, into which sea water is pumped. However, this takes up space at the bottom of the hull that could be used for goods.

However, the possible height of stacked containers on the upper deck 3 is also limited in the situation when refrigerated goods are transported in a refrigerated warehouse. The reason for this is, in practice, that the weight per unit volume of refrigerated goods, typically bananas, is significantly less than the weight per unit volume of cargo on the upper deck. Because of this, a relatively small number of containers can be carried, which must be stacked very low on the upper deck 3.

From an economic point of view, this situation is undesirable, because it unnecessarily reduces the profit of the ship owner.

Figure 2 shows a vertical longitudinal section through the transport ship 20 in accordance with the first basic embodiment of the invention. The transport ship 20 shown, as a conventional transport ship, has an armored hull 22, an upper deck 23, 23', and a warehouse. The storage is divided into storage compartments, and the rear part 25 of the ship includes the machinery of the ship and the rear storage part 28. The front part 35 of the ship 20 includes the bow of the ship and the front storage part 28'. The fore and aft compartments, 28 and 28', are bounded upwards by respective portions 23, 23' of the upper deck, which is made with access hatches which provide access to storage compartments for vertical lowering of goods, especially containers. To enable the lowering of containers, hatches are conveniently provided across the width of the storage compartments as on conventional container ships, and the hatch covers are designed to carry the surface load. In addition, the forward portion 23' and the aft portion 23 of the upper deck are advantageously located at the same level above the baseline as the upper deck 3 on a conventional reefer ship.

The ship 20 additionally has a central part 29 with a compartment 30 of refrigerated storage, indicated by dashed lines, and the length of the refrigerated compartment 30 in the longitudinal direction of the ship is advantageously 25% - 40% of the total length of the ship. The width of the refrigerated warehouse 30 can conveniently correspond to the width of the ship. The refrigerated storage compartment 30 is provided for the transport of refrigerated goods, such as bananas or similar products, or alternatively for the transport of refrigerated liquid gas, and is bordered on the upper side by a thermally insulated cover 130 of the refrigerated warehouse. Refrigerated storage section 30 additionally has a thermally insulated bottom that can be located close to the bottom of the ship, and thermally insulated longitudinal and transverse walls 132, 133, and the front part 23' and the rear part 23 of the upper deck immediately to the transverse walls 132, 133, as shown. In addition, the transverse walls 132, 133 advantageously form a transverse boundary between the front and rear storage compartments 28 and 28'. The refrigerated warehouse cover 130 is advantageously adapted to carry the superstructure deck with the navigation bridge 27 of the ship 20 and, if necessary, surface cargo in the form of smaller stacks of containers secured by ropes to the refrigerated warehouse cover 130.

As in conventional refrigerated warehouses, the refrigerated warehouse section 30 has a number of fixed intermediate decks 31, eg in the form of a lattice, which can be accessed through access doors (not shown) on the ship's side and by elevators, and if necessary subdivisions can be provided section 30 of the refrigerated warehouse into smaller sections where different temperatures can be maintained, eg above freezing and below freezing. The distance between the intermediate decks 31 is determined by the height of the standard pallet and is therefore typically 2.5 m as in conventional reefer ships.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 2, the refrigerated storage cover 130 is located at a height above the upper deck 23' by approximately 100% of the ship's theoretical depth measured from the base line to the main deck 23', which means that the refrigerated storage section includes a total of eight intermediate decks, from four of which are below the level of the upper deck 23, 23'. Therefore, refrigerated goods can be stacked to a higher height than in a conventional refrigerated ship. Compared to a conventional reefer ship 1 of the appropriate length shown in Figure 1, it is clear that choosing a suitable height of the refrigerated warehouse cover 130 will give the same load capacity for the refrigerated goods.

In addition, Fig. 2 shows a situation in which the ship 20 is fully loaded with refrigerated goods (which are indicated by the broken line) in the section 30 of the refrigerated warehouse and with a number of containers 32, 32' (which are indicated by the dotted lines) stacked on top of each other in the storage compartments 28, 28' and on the upper deck 23, 23'. As the weight per unit volume of refrigerated goods is typically less than for containers, as mentioned earlier, the ability to stack containers close to the keel will mean that the total center weight of the cargo is relatively low compared to a conventional reefer ship of the same length and loaded with an equal number of containers. In this way, it is possible to stack a large number of containers one on top of the other with approximately the same stability conditions as on a conventional reefer ship. In addition, in the situation of navigation without refrigerated goods, the amount of ballast water can be reduced in some versions.

Table 1, below, serves to illustrate some of the advantages of the invention. In the table, the capacity of a ship according to the invention, constructed with a length of 150 meters and a refrigerated warehouse approximately 50 meters long and with a width approximately corresponding to the width of the ship (approximately 25 m) and with eight intermediate decks (Figure 2) is compared with a conventional reefer ship of the same length, which is shown in Figure 1. Construction costs for both ships are typically up to 220 million Danish kroner (1997). For both vessels, the distance between the baseline and the upper deck is approximately 13.3 m and the width is approximately equal.

Table 1

(first basic embodiment of the invention)

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It should be added that the rear upper deck 23 may very well be arranged at a lower level than the front upper deck 23', and then the first mentioned part of the vessel does not have to be protected from waves to the same extent of height. In this situation, the position of the refrigerated storage cover 130 towards the upper deck can then be determined based on the level of the forward upper deck 23'.

Another basic embodiment of the invention

Figure 3 shows an example of a conventional tanker 201 having an armored hull 202 and an upper deck 203 representing the upper hull cover. Tanker 201 has an aft section 203 which includes the necessary ship propulsion machinery, fuel tanks and a superstructure deck which includes crew quarters and navigation bridge 207. In addition, ship 201 has a forward section 215 with the bow and deck of the ship, and a center section 209 with storage 210. Storage 210 forms a container which is shown in dashed line and consists of several independent compartments whose walls may be formed from liners 202. The container is bounded upwardly by the upper deck 203 of the ship, and downwardly by the bottom 208 of the ship. Ships of this type are typically designed only from the point of view of carrying as much liquid, primarily oil, as possible, and these ships have no cargo in the tank when returning to the oil depot. The tank is arranged so that it occupies approximately 80% of the total length of the tanker in the longitudinal direction of the ship.

Due to current safety rules, it is not allowed to carry surface cargo in the form of, for example, containers above the tanks on the upper deck on conventional tankers, which unnecessarily reduces the owner's earnings. If the safety rules allow such surface loads, the possible height of a complex load, eg a container on the upper deck, will be limited in any case when sailing without liquid in the tank, because the height of the metacenter in that load situation will be very high. Compensation for such stability conditions will generally require installation of ballast tanks, which will only result in the ship having to sail with a partial, unprofitable cargo in the form of pumped water. Tankers are therefore generally unused, because with such permission under the rules, only a relatively limited number of containers can be carried on the upper deck.

Figure 4 shows a vertical longitudinal section through a transport ship 220 in accordance with another basic embodiment of the invention. The transport ship 220 shown, similar to a conventional tanker, has an armored hull 222, an upper deck 223, 223', a bottom 218, and storage. The storage is divided into three compartments, and the rear part 225 of the ship includes the machinery of the ship as well as the rear storage 228. The front part of the ship 220 includes the bow of the ship and the forward storage part 228'. The front and rear storage compartments 228 and 228' are bounded upwards by the respective part 223, 223' of the upper deck, on which access openings are made that enable access to the storage compartments 228 and 228', keeping in mind the vertical lowering of goods, especially containers. To allow the lowering of containers or other goods towards the bottom 218, hatches are preferably arranged across the width of the storage compartments 228, 228' as on conventional container ships, and hatch covers are constructed to carry surface cargo in the form of containers 232, 232' placed to upper deck 223, 223'. In addition, the forward portion 223' and the aft portion 223 of the upper deck are preferably at the same level of the ship's baseline as the upper deck on the conventional tanker 210 (Figure 3).

In addition, the transport ship 220 has a central part 229 that includes a tank 230, and the extension of the tank 230 in the longitudinal direction of the ship conveniently makes up approximately 25% - 40% of the total length of the ship. The width of the container 230 may conveniently correspond to the width of the ship. The tank 230 is intended for the transport of liquid goods, such as wine, oil, chemicals and the like, which, if necessary, can include conventional pipe elements for filling and emptying. As shown, the front portion 223' and the rear portion 223 of the upper deck adjoins the tank 230. The transverse walls of the storage compartments 228, 228', closest to the tank 230, are advantageously generally vertical and directly contact the tank 230 as needed via central cofferdams.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 4, the upper, horizontal wall 330 of the tank is arranged at a height above the upper deck 223' by approximately 100% of the theoretical depth of the ship measured from the baseline to the upper deck 223'.

In addition, the volume of the portion of the tank 230 extending above the upper deck 223' corresponds to approximately 50% of the total volume of the tank 230. A comparison with the volume capacity of a conventional tanker 201 of corresponding length, shown in Figure 3, will show that the selection of a suitable height of the wall 330 of the tank generally ensure the same volume capacity for liquid in the tank as in a conventional tanker.

Figure 4 shows the situation when the ship 220 is fully loaded with liquid (indicated by the dashed line) in the tank 230 and with a plurality of containers 232, 232' (indicated by the dotted line) stacked on top of each other in the storage compartments 228, 228' and on the upper deck 223 , 223'. The height of stack containers 232, 232' is typically limited in part by the stability of the ship against heeling and in part by international maritime rules that the line of sight 204 from the navigation bridge must reach the surface of the sea at a distance from the bow corresponding to the length of the ship. As the containers can be stacked relatively low to the bottom of the ship 218 , a significant number of containers can be carried without endangering the stability of the ship, with and without the oil cargo in the tank 230 .

Fig. 5 shows a side view with more details of the transport ship shown in Fig. 4. The figure shows an example of the purpose-built containers 232, 232' and the solid construction of the tank 230. It can be seen that the tank 230 can consist of a number of independent cylindrical compartments with vertical longitudinal edges, and extending from the bottom 218 of the ship to the line of sight 204. The compartments can be spaced apart and can be adjusted as needed to transport different types of liquids.

Although Figure 5 shows containers 232, 232' arranged in all storage compartments, it is clear that some or all of these storage compartments 228, 228' may be filled with other types of goods, eg, general cargo or special goods. Due to the stability of the ship 220, especially when sailing without liquid in the tank 230, it will be important to place cargo, which is general cargo or containers, in the storage compartments.

Table 2 below serves to illustrate some of the advantages of the invention. The table compares the capacity of, for example, a ship (see figure 3) according to the invention, constructed with a length of 180 meters and a width of approximately 30 meters, and with a tank 30 having a volume of 20,000 m and a height from the upper deck of 23' to the upper horizontal wall of the tank 130 of approximately 30 meters, with the conventional tanker shown in Figure 3 of the same length/width and the same tank capacity. The cost of construction for both ships is typically 220 million Danish kroner (1997). For both vessels, the distance between the baseline and the upper deck will be approximately 14 m.

Table 2

(second basic embodiment of the invention)

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It should be added that the rear upper deck 223 may very well be arranged at a lower level than the front upper deck 223', since the first mentioned part of the vessel does not need to have a wave armor extending to the same height. In this situation, the position of the upper wall 330 of the tank 230 with respect to the upper deck can be determined based on the level of the front upper deck 223'.

Claims (24)

1. A transport ship (20) having an armored hull (22), an upper deck (23, 23') and a storage space (28, 28', 30), and having a forward section (35), a rear section (25) and the central part (29), indicated by - that in the front part (35) of the ship there is a storage area (28') bordered by the hull and the upper deck (23'), and access openings on the upper deck (23') provided in the upper deck (23') which provide access to the mentioned storage part (28'), - that in the rear part (25) of the ship there is a storage area (28) bordered by the hull and the upper deck (23), and access openings provided in the upper deck (23) that allow access to the aforementioned storage area (28), - that in the central part (29) of the ship there is a cooled storage area (30) bounded by the upper thermally insulated cover (130) of the cooled storage, with a thermally insulated bottom and with thermally insulated walls (132, 133...) that extend in the transverse direction and in the longitudinal direction of the ship, i - that the upper deck (23, 23') is adapted for carrying cargo. 2. Transport ship according to claim 1, characterized by - that the upper cover (130) of the refrigerated warehouse is provided to the height above the upper deck (23, 23') by between 20% and 200%, preferably between 50% and 150% of the theoretical depth of the ship (20) measured up to the upper deck (23) , 23'). 3. Transport ship according to claim 1 or 2, indicated by - that the insulated walls (132, 133) extend in the transverse direction directly touching the storage part (28, 28') in the front and/or rear part (25, 35) of the ship. 4. Transport ship according to any previous request, indicated by - that the thermally insulated walls extend in the longitudinal direction directly touching the armor (22) of the hull. 5. Transport ship according to any previous request, indicated by - that the upper cover (130) of the refrigerated warehouse is adapted to carry the load. 6. Transport ship according to any previous request, indicated by - that the ship's navigation bridge (27) and space (26) for the crew are provided on the upper cover (130) of the refrigerated warehouse. 7. Transport ship according to any previous request, indicated by - that part (30) of the refrigerated warehouse is equipped with intermediate decks (31), i - that the distance between the intermediate decks is approximately 2 m - 3 m, preferably approximately 2.25 m - approximately 2.5 m. 8. Transport ship according to any previous request, indicated by - that the intermediate decks (31) are constructed as grids, and that cooling is done by means of air circulation. 9. Transport ship according to any previous request, indicated by - that the access to part (30) of the refrigerated warehouse is provided in thermally insulated walls. 10. Transport ship according to any previous request, indicated by - that the means for driving the ship are provided behind the storage part (28) in the rear part (25). 11. Transport ship according to any previous request, indicated by - that the length of the part (30) of the refrigerated warehouse is between 20% and 50%, preferably between approximately 25% and 45% of the total length of the ship. 12. Transport ship according to any previous request, indicated by - that the thermally insulated walls (132, 133, ...) of the part (30) of the refrigerated warehouse are arranged symmetrically around the central part and the plane of the central line. 13. Transport ship according to any previous request, indicated by - that the access openings to the storage compartments (28, 28') are provided mainly along the entire width of the storage compartments (28, 28'). 14. Transport ship (220) adapted for the simultaneous transport of cargo consisting of (i) liquid, especially oil, and (ii) a plurality of containers (232, 232') as well as (iii) as needed at least one additional type of goods, at what does the transport ship have: - hull with armor (222), upper deck (223, 223'), bottom (218) and tank (230) for storing and transporting said liquid, and - the front part (235), the back part (225) and the central part (229), indicated that - the ship has a number of storage compartments (228, 228') bounded by a bottom (218) and an upper deck (223, 223'), wherein the storage compartments (228, 228') are adapted for storing containers (232, 232') and /or additional types of goods as needed, - that the upper deck (223, 223') is adapted for carrying containers (232, 232'), - that on the upper deck (223, 223') there are access openings that allow access to the mentioned storage compartments (228, 228'), and - that the container (230) for storing liquid extends from the area at the bottom (218) of the ship upwards to the height above the upper deck (223, 223'). 15. Transport ship according to claim 14, characterized by - that the total volume capacity of the tank (230) mostly corresponds to the volume capacity of the tank on the conventional tanker (201) which has a hull of appropriate dimensions. 16. Transport ship according to claim 14 or 15, indicated by - that the container (230) has a total volume capacity between approx. 5,000 and 100,000 m3, favorable approx. 40,000 m, i - that the storage compartments (228, 228') are adapted to accommodate a total of at least approximately 200, preferably at least approximately 450 standard containers. 17. A transport ship according to any of the preceding claims 14-16, characterized in that - that the storage compartments (228, 228') have transverse walls that are mostly vertical and that directly touch the container (230), if necessary with central cofferdams, and - that the walls of the storage compartments (228, 228'), which extend in the longitudinal direction of the ship, are formed from the armor (222) of the hull. 18. Transport ship according to any previous claim 14-17, characterized in that - that the front part (235) of the transport ship includes one of the aforementioned storage compartments (228'), - that the rear part (225) of the transport ship includes one of the aforementioned storage compartments (228), and - that the central part (229) of the transport ship includes the said tank (230). 19. A transport ship according to any of the preceding claims 14-18, characterized in that - that the container (230) is divided into several separate compartments. 20. Transport ship according to any previous request, indicated by - that the separate compartments are cylindrical or spherical. 21. Transport ship according to any previous claim 14-20, characterized in that - that the tank (230) extends upwards to a height above the upper deck (223, 223') by between 10% and 200%, preferably between 50% and 150% of the theoretical depth of the ship (220) measured to the upper deck (223, 223'). 22. Transport ship according to any previous claim 14-21, characterized in that - that the tank (230) extends upwards to above the upper deck (223, 223') by at least approximately 10 meters, preferably at least 15 meters. 23. Transport ship according to any previous claim 14-22, characterized in that - that the volume of the tank above the upper deck (223, 223') constitutes at least 20%, preferably between 40% and 60% of the total volume of the tank. 24. A transport ship according to any preceding claim 14-23, characterized in that - that the access openings to the storage compartments (228, 228') are provided mainly along the entire width of the storage compartments (228, 228').