On 14 May 2007, Evergreen's new European product, the China-Europe Shuttle (CES) Service, was launched at Yantian, with the deployment of S-type green vessels that meet the world's highest environmental standards. The new vessels are capable of eliminating the risk of oil leaks, while also treating waste water more effectively and releasing less exhaust gases. The new service aims to provide a fast, green route to Europe for shippers in South China.
Since 2003, Evergreen has worked on building S-type green vessels, all of which have a shipping capacity of 7,024 TEU, and some of these vessels are already in operation. A total of eight S-type vessels have been deployed to run the CES Service, with the inaugural vessel, "Ever Superb", departing from Kaohsiung on 11 May and arriving in Yantian three days later.
The S-type vessels are particularly noteworthy in that they incorporate many new environmental features, including a double-skin hull, an internal fuel oil tank, the latest tin-free anti-fouling system, a low-sulphur fuel system and the ability to connect to electric power from shore, as well as a grey-water holding tank to minimise the risk of oil pollution or fire as a result of grounding or collision, and to prevent discharge of waste water.
In recent years, thanks to increasing consciousness of the precarious state of the global environment, the shipping industry has proactively applied state-of-the-art technology to help preserve the safety of marine life and port environments. This looks set to become an even stronger trend in the future.
The CES Service calls at Yantian every Monday, with a port rotation of Kaohsiung, Hong Kong, Yantian, Tanjung Pelepas, Colombo, Suez Canal, Rotterdam, Hamburg, Thamesport and Zeebrugge.