The Hamburg-based shipping company Ernst Russ is pushing ahead with the diversification of its fleet: in future, the listed company will also be active in tanker shipping. This is made possible by the purchase of a newbuilding package.
Ernst Russ AG, with the Hamburg shipping group Peter Döhle as its largest shareholder, today announced its move into the new segment: Four new IMO Type II chemical/product tankers will be purchased. The vessels of the so-called Intermediate class with a carrying capacity of 18,500 tons are currently still under construction in China and are to be delivered successively by Wuhu Shipyard from the fourth quarter of 2026 until the second quarter of 2027.
Ernst Russ did not initially disclose who is to purchase the ships – i.e. who ordered them in China – or the purchase price. As far as the financial framework conditions are concerned, it merely states: “The financing will be carried out with a conservative capital structure that ensures financial stability and at the same time enables an attractive leverage of the return on equity.” The shipping company also announced that the newbuildings will already have a fixed charter of “at least five years” from delivery. The fixed charter includes extension options and creates “secure cash flows in the first five to eight years”. The Group’s charter backlog will increase by around 126 million dollars.
Ernst Russ AG has restructured itself and its fleet to a certain extent in the recent past. For example, ship ownership has been expanded, investments have been made in the MPP segment with ship purchases and the first newbuild investment in decades has been initiated. The fleet currently comprises 27 ships, some of which it operates with strategic partners. The focus is on container ships in the 700 to 4,200 TEU size classes, supplemented by a larger container ship with around 13,400 TEU, three multipurpose ships and a handysize bulker. The official aim is to “operate a sustainable and diversified fleet with a balanced spread of risk in terms of employment periods and contractual partners”.
The entry into the tanker segment is now also being placed in this context – as a “consistent step towards diversification across several shipping segments”. “The segment in which we are investing is structurally very attractive: supply is limited, demand for modern tonnage is growing and access to niche markets with restrictive licensing requirements gives us a real competitive advantage – the basis for attractive long-term returns,” said Joseph Schuchmann, Co-CEO and Chief Commercial Officer.
The newbuilds will also contribute to the rejuvenation of the fleet and meet “high ESG requirements”. The higher charter backlog will make the Group’s profitability more transparent and calculable and thus increase the attractiveness of the share, according to those responsible.
Some information on the tankers themselves has been published:
- Shipyard: Wuhu Shipyard
- Delivery: From the end of 2026
- Charter: At least 5 years
- Size: 18,500 tdw
- Twelve tanks with MarineLINE coating for cargoes such as vegetable oils, petroleum products and chemicals
- Methanol-ready design
- Ice class 1B and Great Lakes capability for “access to niche markets with attractive rate structures”
- The Hamburg-based company concludes: “This combination of cargo flexibility and technical equipment creates commercial versatility, ensures a structurally high level of employability and strengthens the portfolio’s resilience to segment-specific market fluctuations.”
