The feeder and shortsea shipping company JR Shipping has ordered newbuildings from a series that was also initiated by Leonhardt & Blumberg from Hamburg and is thus returning to the dry cargo market.
Two diesel-electric-powered 8,500-tonne vessels have been ordered from Chowgule Shipbuilding in India, as JR has now confirmed.
The two newbuildings are part of a series of eight vessels initiated together with shortsea operator Boomsma Shipping and in close cooperation with Hamburg-based shipping company Leonhardt & Blumberg, it is reported. The Netherlands-based JR Shipping Group will take over numbers 6 and 8 of the series, which were designed by the Dutch ship designer Conoship. Deliveries are scheduled for the end of June 2027 and the end of February 2028. This is yet another European shipowner choosing India as the location for newbuilds. Various shipowners have taken this step in the recent past.
Following some restructuring, the JR fleet currently comprises 26 vessels, including 15 container feeders between 750 and 1,400 TEU and 11 offshore service units. The current order is described as “part of the broader fleet improvement strategy”, which includes container feeder vessels, dry cargo units and offshore service vessels.
The return to the dry cargo sector is a “logical decision” for the JR Shipping Group, the statement added. The group’s activities in the shortsea market were “paused” in 2019 following the sale of the last 5,000-ton vessels in the fleet. However, a return to this market was still a goal. As the company has some experience in the business, it believes it is “well equipped” to re-enter this market segment.
Features of the new buildings
- “High efficiency in terms of loading capacity per energy unit
- 8,500 t load capacity
- 13,900 m³ cargo space, open-top, complete tween deck
- Optimized diesel-electric drive with 4 Tier III + SCR Volvo generators
- 50% – 60% less drive energy required compared to existing tonnage
- “Ready” for conversion to new fuels, wind-assisted propulsion, carbon capture and emission-free operation with batteries
