Dutch Shortsea Operator ‘Longship Group’ Orders Two Modern Bijlsma Trader 6000 Vessels

Longship Group BV has placed an order for two modern Bijlsma Trader 6000 vessels, a multi-purpose vessel of 103,48 m, DWT 6,080 and 270,000 cubic feet, at Bijlsma Shipyard, Lemmer (NL) part of the VEKA Shipbuilding Group. The first of the new ships are due to be delivered in the last quarter of 2021, the second will follow in the first quarter of 2022. This expansion of Longship’s fleet further strengthens the strong position of the company in the segment of 6000 dwt.

The €21m deal is a joint venture between Longship and the VMS Shipping Group in which both companies have an equal share. Longship will be responsible for the commercial management and VMS for the technical management. The deal builds on a strong existing relationship between Longship and both the VMS Shipping Group and the VEKA Group.

This is a milestone in Longship’s 11 years’ history. As industrial carrier we further implement our vision of a homogeneous modern fleet. Longship serves and fully meets the requirements and priorities of our industrial customers. We are continuously looking into expansion possibilities and new technologies to ensure sustainable growth that will keep our fleet up to date and future proof, says Øyvind Sivertsen, Managing Partner and CEO of Longship.

The Bijlsma Trader 6000 is a multi-purpose vessel with a total length of 103.48 m, deadweight of approx. 6,080 mt a hold capacity of nearly 270,000 cubic feet, suitable for heavy cargo and equipped with tween decks.

When I joined Longship as a partner in 2014, I saw a lot of opportunities and challenges in this segment.

Image Credits: longship.com

Coastal shipping underwent many changes in respect of financing, ownership and most important the environmental aspect of the trade. It is paramount for us to find solid financial partners who can assist our growth in making coastal shipping more ecological. Consolidation of our market is inevitable too. I am a strong believer of our growth strategy. The first steps were made end of last year by acquiring 50% of Wagle Chartering. And we are looking at other opportunities as well, says Michel Cigrang, Managing Partner of Longship.

The new buildings are optimized with i.a. a low power, 1,600 kW, main engine that drives a nozzled adjustable pitch propeller, shore connection, heat recovery and ECO performance monitoring software. These systems and the design of the vessels contribute to a reduction of CO2 emissions as well as a reduced fuel consumption of about 20% compared to similar tonnages. This results in an excellent EEDI score and alignment with the IMO 2050 ambition of reducing emissions by at least 50%.

Image Credits: longship.com

– Since our founding in 2012, we have managed to achieve stable growth by taking third-party vessels into our management as well as by participating in several vessels. We are therefore proud that, despite our young existence, we can now realize our first new build project and have a further expansion with our partners, says Erik van der Wiel, CEO of VMS Shipping Group.

– We are delighted to support Longship with the expansion of their owned fleet with these two 6,000 DWT multi-purpose vessels. The vessel design makes use of several state-of-the-art technologies, resulting in two future-proof and IMO 2050 compliant vessels, says Reinout Vente, Relationship Manager ABN AMRO.

Reference: Longship Group BV | cision.com

Source: Maritime Shipping News