VESSEL REVIEW | Kaşif Kalkavan – Turkey’s Turkon Line Acquires Multi-fuel-capable 4,000TEU Newbuild

Turkish container shipping company Turkon Line has taken delivery of Kaşif Kalkavan, a 4,000TEU “baby Panamax” container vessel. The owner has described the newbuild as the first and largest LNG-fuelled container vessel to be built in Turkey.

The ship entered commercial service on Turkon’s Turkey–Red Sea–India (TRI) service on July 17, 2026, one week after her American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) date of build of July 10.

She is the first of two sister vessels built by Sedef Shipyard of Tuzla, a fellow subsidiary of Turkon Holding, to a design by Turkish naval architecture firm Delta Marine.

Kaşif Kalkavan has an LOA of 199.95 metres (656 feet), a length between perpendiculars of 196.5 metres (644.7 feet), a moulded beam of 37.5 metres (123 feet), and a moulded depth of 19.1 metres (62.7 feet). Her design deadweight is 46,633 while her gross tonnage is 40,888. The ship operates with a crew of 21.

Low-emission-optimised propulsion arrangement

The ship’s main propulsion consists of one MAN B&W 6G60ME-C10.5-GI-TIII two-stroke, low-speed engine with high-pressure selective catalytic reduction (SCR). The engine has a total installed power of 15,900 kW (21,300 hp) and drives a controllable-pitch propeller to deliver speeds of up to 18 knots. The generators are also equipped with SCR systems.

Turkon said the vessel can run on five fuels: LNG as the primary fuel, MGO, HFO, very-low-sulphur fuel oil, and ultra-low-sulphur fuel oil. The LNG fuel is stored in two cylindrical Type C tanks with a total capacity is 3,177.5 cubic metres (698,950 gallons).

Three auxiliary engines and a shaft generator can together supply up to 6,145 kW for the ship’s 450 refrigerated container positions.

Delta Marine designed the double-hulled ship to carry 20-, 40- and 45-foot containers. Five cargo holds accommodate ten of the ship’s 12 bays and are equipped with cell guides and hatch covers. The deck meanwhile has lashing bridges.

Can be deployed in higher latitude areas if needed

Ballast capacity is 16,647.32 cubic metres (3.66 million gallons). The vessel also carries 357.05 cubic metres (78,540 gallons) of freshwater, 177.24 cubic metres (38,987 gallons) of lube oil, and 7.67 cubic metres (1,690 gallons) of hydraulic oil.

The ship is classed by ABS for unrestricted service. Her class notations include ✠A1, Container Carrier, ✠AMS, ✠ACCU, CPS-B, SH and SHCM.

Additional notations cover ballast water treatment, environmental performance, lashing ergonomics, an inventory of hazardous materials, ice class IC and LNG Fuel Ready Level 3 (TA, BK, FS, S, ME, AE).

Under the ice class IC notation, the ship’s maximum ice draught is 12.5 metres (41 feet) forward and amidships and 13.5 metres (44.3 feet) aft.

First in a new inter-regional-capable series

The ship is registered in Majuro under the flag of the Marshall Islands. On the TRI service, she will call at Ambarlı, Evyap, Aliağa and Mersin in Turkey, Aqaba and Jeddah in the Red Sea, and Nhava Sheva and Mundra in India.

On the return leg she will call at Jeddah, Aqaba and Alexandria. Turkon launched the service in 2025, and it connects with the operator’s US East Coast network.

“With Kaşif Kalkavan now deployed on our India service, we will offer our customers greater capacity, more environmentally responsible operations, and more reliable service,” Turkon said.

Kaşif Kalkavan‘s sister vessel remains under construction at Sedef. This ship is expected to be delivered by the end of this year.