In 1973 the shipping companies Hapag-Lloyd , Koninklijke Nederlandsche Stoomboot Maatschappij (KNSM) and Harrison Line merged to set up the CAROL service (by Caribbean Overseas Line), the first full container service between the Caribbean and Europe. To this end, Hapag-Lloyd initially ordered two ships, the Caribia Express and Cordillera Express , the KNSM the Hollandia and the Harrison Line the ships Astronomer and Adviser . The order was expanded to include the Caraibe when the French shipping company Compagnie General Maritime (CGM) also joined the consortium. The model ship of the series was the Caribia Express of the shipping company Hapag-Lloyd , which was delivered in 1976 .
In total, the series consisted of at least nine units, as Hapag-Lloyd ordered two more ships of the B463 type, the America Express and the Alemania Express . However, these did not receive a gantry crane. The Harrison Line also added a replica to their order, the Author . The French La Fayette was almost identical in construction, but belonging to the Stocznia Gdańska B456 type .
technology
This type of ship received vertical cooling rods below deck to connect the Conair containers.
The ships were designed as multi-purpose dry cargo ships with a far aft deckhouse. They were mainly used in container transport. The container capacity was 1474 TEU when it was built, later the capacity was increased to around 1600 TEU by transporting a third layer of containers on deck. Depending on the type of construction, the ships were equipped for the transport of refrigerated containers of the "Conair" system and with electrical connections for integrated refrigerated containers. The holds of the ships were closed with pontoon hatch covers that were split fore and aft. The ships are designed for use in a shipping area with his time poorly-developed port infrastructure and were with a movable deck Liebherr - gantry crane equipped of 40 tons capacity.
The ships were powered by a two-stroke Sulzer 10RND90 diesel engine with an output of around 29,000 hp. The motors were built under license by H. Cegielski in Poznań. The engine worked directly on the fixed propeller and allowed a speed of about 21 knots. Furthermore, four auxiliary diesels of the type Cegielski-Sulzer 6AL25 / 30 and an emergency diesel generator were available. The berthing and casting off maneuvers were supported by a bow thruster. In addition, the ships were equipped with a Denny Brown ship stabilizer.
