With the purchase of three ships from MPC Container Ships, the Turkish shipping company is aiming for greater efficiency in liner operations and better CII ratings.
The Turkish container line Arkas requires additional tonnage for its ship systems in the wake of stricter IMO regulations forCO2 emissions in shipping. [ds_preview]
On the occasion of the takeover of three container ships from the listed fleet owner MPC Container Ships, the Istanbul-based shipping company announced that the aim of strengthening the fleet is to improve the Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) ratings of the ships used.
The company did not provide any details on the current classification of ship operations. With the introduction of the CII at the beginning of this year, ships are rated on a scale from A to E according to theirCO2 efficiency(g per tdw per sm). Shipping companies should aim for a grade of C or, even better, A or B.
A step-by-step reduction in sailing speeds would be a suitable measure, especially for older fleets, although this would require additional ships in liner shipping in order to maintain departure frequencies. This additional demand could also support the charter market.
Arkas wants to improve CII performance
“The new tonnage is needed to support our ongoing weekly services and to improve CII performance as part of network optimization,” an Arkas Group spokesperson explained when asked.
The Turkish shipping company, which is listed in 30th place in Alphaliner’s liner shipping company ranking, secured three vessels from MPC Container Ships a few weeks ago: “AS Flora” (1,221 TEU, built in 2005), “AS Roberta” (1,440 TEU, 2006) and “AS Rafaela” (1,440 TEU, 2007). According to broker reports, the purchase prices amounted to around USD 7 million per ship. The freighters have since been renamed “Öyku A”, “Onur G” and “Denis A”.
The container ship fleet owned by Arkas has thus reportedly grown to 50 units with a total capacity of 87,335 TEU.
