ESL Shipping takes delivery of LNG-fuelled bulk carrier

ESL Shipping is part of the Aspo Group. The Haaga is a 160 m long, 25 600 dwt, LNG-fuelled vessel, which can also be fuelled entirely by carbon-free biogas, once the availability of carbon-free biogas improves in future.

The carrier features a number of solutions to reduce its environmental footprint by minimising its energy consumption and emissions. The shipping company and MacGregor, which is part of Cargotec, have developed the world's first autonomous cargo processing solution for the vessel to further improve safety and efficiency.

The carrier will have raw material cargo while travelling from Japan to the Baltic Sea, where it is currently scheduled to arrive in mid-September.

Mikki Koskinen, Managing Director of ESL Shipping, said: “Our new vessels have met with an excellent reception among our customers. Every employee of our shipping company should be genuinely proud of what we have achieved during our new construction project.”

Aki Ojanen, CEO of Aspo Plc and Chairman of the Board of Directors of ESL Shipping: “This investment of around €60 million is significant for a company of Aspo's size. It's also an excellent example of our responsible ownership, as environmental responsibility involves considering future generations, too. The design and construction of the new vessels were completed as planned. The vessels will considerably increase ESL Shipping's capacity, in addition to improving its profitability.”

According to the statement, this new construction project is part of the Bothnia Bulk project, which is partly funded by the EU. The aim of the project is to modernise the sea route between Luleå, Oxelösund and Raahe in order to be more eco-friendly. In addition to this, environmental emissions will decrease at port with the improved availability of shore-side electricity. The vessels have been designed by Deltamarin in Finland, and European equipment suppliers have provided approximately 60% of all vessel systems.

Read the article online at: https://www.lngindustry.com/lng-shipping/20082018/esl-shipping-takes-delivery-of-lng-fuelled-bulk-carrier/