Hey All,
I just wanted to share this out while yesterday’s newsletter is still fresh. Here’s a new image, showing the ship with a partial cargo load. An average load could have been five to eight times this number of boxes, with a commenserate amount of mass. With powerful engines, it’s utilitarian, but suffers from several drawbacks, most of which result in added operational costs for companies already operating on slim margins.
A project like the Coleoptera class is a reflection of a company’s miscalculations; mostly in ignoring the current needs and pressures of the market. Timing probably has a lot to do with it too. Either way, when a ship design is a compromise between several firms, and developed in isolation from each other, as well as from those following the trends, the result may well be a white elephant.
It sure is pretty to look at, though…
-David