The fleet of the breakbulk carrier G2 Ocean is to be further expanded with a major order from the ship owners Grieg and Seaspan. Six open-hatch vessels with gantry cranes are being ordered.
The Norwegian joint venture G2 Ocean has been provided with additional breakbulk tonnage by one of its shareholders and the Seaspan Group: Six open-hatch vessels with gantry cranes have been ordered from the Chinese shipyard New Dayang Shipbuilding in Yangzhou. They are to be successively put into service from 2029.
The freighters with 65,400 dwt and 79,400 m3 cargo capacity will be built “future fuel ready”, with a particular focus on ammonia as a potential future fuel.
The order book for G2 Ocean continues to grow. Even before the new order, a total of ten newbuilds with a load capacity of 82,300 tons had already been ordered. They are to be delivered by 2029. The first ship, the “Star Norge”, was already put into service at the beginning of the year. The carrier’s shareholders are the shipping companies Gearbulk and Grieg Star. However, only one of the partners is the owner of the latest orders: four of the six newbuildings will belong to the Canadian Seaspan Group – the world’s largest container ship owner – which will charter them to Gearbulk as part of a bareboat agreement. The remaining two are owned by the Grieg Maritime Group, to which Grieg Star belongs.
G2 Ocean’s fleet currently comprises 88 vessels. “The open-hatch business is at the core of our long-term strategy. We are pleased to be able to support G2 Ocean with this investment to remain a high quality, flexible and efficient service provider,” emphasized Matthew Duke, Chief Executive Officer of Grieg Maritime Group.
The addition of six new open-hatch vessels with tweendecks and gantry cranes will increase G2 Ocean’s operational flexibility by closing the gap between the larger 72,000 dwt gantry crane vessels in the fleet and the smaller units between 36,000 to 55,000 dwt.
“The pooled investments reflect the long-term commitment of G2 Ocean shareholders and pool participants to support the company’s growth ambitions as well as evolving customer requirements in various cargo segments,” the statement reads. “We believe it is essential to maintain a highly flexible fleet in order to tailor solutions to our customers’ needs,” said CEO Arthur English.
Sail technology as a retrofit
In addition to the newbuilding programme, G2 Ocean and its pool participants are investing in the modernization of the existing fleet. The 49,924-piece cargo ship “Star Kirkenes” will be retrofitted with AirWing jet sails. The installation is planned for “late 2026 or early 2027”; there is also the potential to extend the technology to other ships in the fleet, according to the official statement.
The jet sails should not affect cargo handling or loading capacity. “This investment underlines our ongoing commitment to renewing our fleet, supporting our customers and strengthening our operational platform – while ensuring that we remain competitive in the long term,” said Kristian Jebsen, Chairman of Gearbulk and G2 Ocean.
