The Finnish company has ordered two additional new, state-of-the-art, dual-fuel engine-technology container ships, which will be delivered during 2017. Earlier this year, it announced an order of two similar vessels, expected to arrive in 2016, and will be the first short-sea container operator in Europe to run ships on LNG. All four ships will use natural gas but will also be able to burn conventional marine diesel oil/heavy fuel.
“Our new ships will not just meet, but exceed all environmental standards in the Sulphur Emission Control Area (SECA) where we operate. On top of this, with the gas mode, the engines are Tier III compliant with the upcoming IMO emission regulations for SECA areas also regarding NOx. In addition to the new ships, we are also planning to invest in an LNG-powered truck fleet in Finland, Russia and the UK to offer the most sustainable logistics solution from door to door,” said Kari-Pekka Laaksonen, CEO of Containerships.
The total value of Containerships’ investments for land and sea operations will be approximately 250-300 million euros. The ships will be built in China and the main engines will be delivered by Wärtsilä.
Containerships will be chartering the ships over the long term. “In addition to the option of chartering, we are also considering acquiring the new vessels as our own assets. This would of course mean new big investments and also new career opportunities for Finnish professionals,” added Laaksonen.
Source: Containerships
