“A new chapter in fleet development”: The construction of the first “Green Handy” ship for the shortsea and MPP shipping group ESL has started in China with the traditional first steel cut.
The Finnish shipping group belonging to the Aspo Group – which also owns the carrier AtoB@C – ordered a total of four ships of this type from China Merchants Jinling Shipyard. They will be 150 m long, 23.7 m wide and have a draught of 8.6 m and a carrying capacity of 17,000 tons. Two cranes will be installed on deck of the ice-class 1A ships, which will have a methanol-capable propulsion system.
“This milestone marks the transition from the planning phase to the production phase as part of the investment in a new generation of ships designed for operation with fossil-free fuels and improved operational performance,” said ESL on the occasion of the first steel cut. The “Green Handy” vessels will play a key role in the renewal of ESL Shipping’s fleet and support the green transformation in industrial logistics.
Delivery of the first vessel is expected in the third quarter of 2027, while the fourth vessel is scheduled for delivery in the first half of 2028. According to official information, the ship design includes various features aimed at minimizing energy consumption and emissions – including heat pumps in the accommodation, electric cranes, a battery hybrid system and a shore power connection.
According to earlier information, the 17,000-tonne vessels are optimized for the most important trade routes in the Baltic region and transatlantic crossings and can be used flexibly on the Great Lakes in the United States and Canada. The bridge is arranged in the bow area so that long project cargoes can also be transported beyond the stern, as is the case with several newbuilding projects in the global market. Mixed cargoes can also be transported thanks to the integration of tween decks. Neither ESL nor the designer Deltamarin have yet provided detailed information about the crane capacity.
The combined fleet of ESL Shipping and AtoB@C Shipping consists of around 40 vessels with a load capacity of 4,000 to 25,000 tdw. In recent years, ESL has taken various steps to modernize its fleet, including sales, newbuilding orders and capital market activities. The sales and additional fresh money from the capital market were intended to create free capacity for “green” ships. ESL had also confirmed an equity injection of €45 million and relied on pooling as a financing instrument.
“These vessels herald a new chapter in the development of our fleet and underline our commitment to supporting industrial customers with low-emission maritime transportation solutions. We are very pleased to continue this partnership with Jinling Shipyard as we now put this new vessel concept into practice,” said ESL Managing Director Mikki Koskinen. The shipyard and shipping company already know each other from previous projects. For example, Cina Merchants Jinling built the LNG-powered ships “Viikki” and “Haaga”, which were delivered in 2018.
