Hamburg, 18 May 2021 – The John T. Essberger Group today announced the closing of an agreement with China Merchants Jinling Shipyard Dingheng Co. Ltd. for the construction of four 6,660 DWT chemical tankers. Moreover, there are options for four additional vessels.
The vessels will be equipped with stainless steel tanks (IMO Type II), dual-fuel LNG propulsion and will meet the requirements of the Finnish-Swedish ICE 1A ice class. The tankers are engineered according to Essberger’s high quality standards and meet all known future environmental regulations.
The new vessels will be further optimised in terms of hull design and equipment. This will result in a significant increase in the degree of efficiency to at least 30% and the possibility of using a shore-side power connection during cargo handling while in port.
“With this investment in the future, Essberger is fulfilling its promise to offer its customers high-quality and environmentally friendly services at favourable conditions in the long term,” says Jan Eghoej, Managing Director at John T. Essberger.
The newly built vessels are scheduled for delivery and entry into service with E&S Tankers from mid-2023. The company is thus initiating the modernisation of its fleet and underscoring its commitment to chemical transport in short-distance shipping in Europe.
E&S Tankers is pleased to continue its long-term partnerships with its customers in the development of a trading platform that will be characterised by a high level of flexibility and a reduction in environmental impact through increased efficiency.
Essberger’s fleet currently consists of a total of 34 chemical tankers operating in Northwest Europe and the Mediterranean, as well as four container vessels.
The construction of the new vessels is being supported with funds totalling 1.58 million euros per ship by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure as part of the implementation of the German government’s Mobility and Fuels Strategy (MFS). The funding measure is coordinated by NOW GmbH.