The new eco-friendly dry cargo vessel of ESL Shipping, a member of the Aspo Group, was christened today at the Jinling shipyard in Nanjing, China. The first of the two ordered vessels was christened Viikki in honor of the shipping company's tradition to name its ships for places in Helsinki. Viikki is the first ecologically designed district in Finland, and has won a number of national and international awards. The vessel's godmother is Anne Lexelius, Director, Raw Materials, Procurement at SSAB. According to her request, the christening gift was donated to the Clean Baltic Sea project.
"We are proud to reduce the carbon footprint of our shipping company with these innovative vessels. These new vessels are a significant step towards even greener shipping," says Aki Ojanen, CEO of Aspo Plc and chairman of the Board of Directors of ESL Shipping.
The 160-meter vessel of 26,000 dwt fueled by liquefied natural gas produces more than 50 percent lower carbon dioxide emissions than vessels of the previous generation.
"Our new vessels are full of innovation, and they are pioneers in eco-friendliness and transportation efficiency," says Mikki Koskinen, Managing Director of ESL Shipping.
Viikki will start operating in the Baltic Sea during the first half of 2018. The construction of its sister vessel is also proceeding on schedule, and it will be christened in September.
"SSAB assumes responsibility for sustainable oceans by such means as our work to minimize carbon dioxide emissions from our production and our transport operations", says Thomas Hörnfeldt, SSAB's VP Sustainability & Public Affairs.
This construction project is part of the Bothnia Bulk project, co-funded partly by the EU. Its objective is to modernize the sea route between Luleå, Oxelösund and Raahe to be more eco-friendly. These vessels have been designed in Finland, and European equipment suppliers account for roughly 60 percent of all vessel systems.
For more information:
Mikki Koskinen, Managing Director, ESL Shipping Ltd, tel. +358 50 351 7791, mikki.koskinen@eslshipping.com
M/S Viikki, technical specification
DWT 25,600
GT / NT 18,912 / 7,631
Length 160.00 m
Width 26.00 m
Depth 10.00 m
Main engine Dual Fuel MAN B&W 5G45ME-C9.5-GI + PTO/PTI, total shaft line power 7,250 kW
Ice class 1A
More information about the new vessels: http://www.eslshipping.com/blog/topic/lng
Facts of solutions related to eco-friendliness: https://www.eslshipping.com/hubfs/Documents/Newbuildings%20fact%20sheet%20v2.pdf
Attachments: Photo 1, 2, 3
ESL Shipping is the leading carrier of dry bulk cargoes. ESL Shipping ensures availability of raw materials for industries and energy production throughout the year even in difficult climate conditions. Special services include loading and lightering of large ocean carriers at sea. The company's fleet consists of 14 vessels, of which the company owns 13 in full and one is leased. In 2016, the cargo volume carried by ESL Shipping amounted to approximately 10.7 million tons.
Aspo is a conglomerate that owns and develops business operations in Northern Europe and growth markets focusing on demanding B-to-B customers. Our strong company brands - ESL Shipping, Leipurin, Telko and Kauko - aim to be the market leaders in their sectors. They are responsible for their own operations, customer relationships and the development of these. Together they generate Aspo's goodwill. Aspo's Group structure and business operations are continually developed without any predefined schedules.
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