Nicolaus and Friedrich Bunnemann’s AL Group has christened the sixth and final ship in its 7,100 TEU series in China.
The “ALS Clivia” was christened at DSIC’s Shanhaiguan shipyard. It is the sixth and last ship in a series of Neo-Panamax newbuildings, each with 7,100 TEU, ordered by the AL Group of the Bunnemann brothers Friedrich and Nicolaus in China from 2021. [ds_preview]
The godmother was the sister of the two shipping company bosses. According to the information provided, it is the fifth ship in the company’s history to bear this name – after the respective predecessors were launched in 1953, 1977, 2000 and 2004.
Bunnemann-Reederei relies on ammonia-ready
Like her five sisters, the “ALS Clivia” has dual-fuel engines that are classified as both ammonia-ready and methanol-ready. They are classified in category A according to the CII (Carbon Intensity Index). They also meet the EEDI Phase 3 standard, which is not mandatory for new buildings until 2025, and the US Tier III emissions standard for NOx emissions.
With a length of 255 m and a width of 42.8 m, further technical solutions were chosen for the new freighters for the hull, rudder and propellers, as well as for pumps and electric motors, which significantly improve the energy and climate footprint compared to conventional designs.
The newbuild was financed by KfW Ipex from Germany, among others, and the class was provided by ABS. The ship flies the Singapore flag at the stern.
Fleet portfolio diversified
The AL Group, managed by the Bunnemann brothers, consists of the two shipping divisions Atlantic Lloyd (Hamburg) and Asiatic Lloyd (Singapore), which were formed following a spin-off from the Bremen-based shipping company Hermann Dauelsberg. It had originally concentrated on container feeder tonnage, but then significantly diversified its portfolio with larger container ships, bulkers, tankers and, most recently, a stake in Gram Car Carriers.
Compact Neo-Panamax container ships with a capacity of 7,000 TEU are becoming a popular size off the main routes. “We see ships of this size as the successors to the classic Panamax units as the future ‘workhorses’ in various regional and north-south trades,” Nicolaus Bunnemann had already explained when ordering the first two newbuilds.
