The 12,000-tonne vessels “Jannes” and “Frieda” are to be handed over to the Harren Group. Krey Schiffahrt heralds the renewal of its fleet.
The Leer-based heavy-lift shipping company Krey Schiffahrt is parting with two older multipurpose freighters as part of a fleet renewal. These are the F-Class types “Jannes” (12,580 dwt, 2 x 150 ton lifting capacity, year of construction: 2009) and “Frieda” (12,580 dwt, 2 x 150 ton, year of construction: 2008). The company confirmed this to HANSA. [ds_preview]
The ships will be handed over to the Bremer Harren Group and its subsidiary Intermarine in the coming months, which intend to operate them under the names “Industrial Ursula” and “Industrial Katharina” in future. No details were given regarding the purchase price. Both units are currently still operating under time charters with BBC Chartering, as can be seen from the fleet list of the leading tramp project carrier.
Krey Schiffahrt makes room for newbuildings
The disposal of the two ships is related to an upcoming fleet modernisation, explained Daniel Grensemann, Managing Partner of Krey Schiffahrt. From next year, the company will be taking delivery of four new 12,500-tonne vessels from China, which have been ordered together with the Hamburg shipping company Auerbach as part of a series of eight.
These are further developed F500 types. “This is now accompanied by a strategic sale of existing ships for us,” said Grensemann. In addition to the “Frieda” and the “Jannes”, Krey also manages six other ships – the most recent of which were built in 2011.
In order to be able to replace the entire fleet in the coming years, the shipping company is investigating further options for newbuilds. “We want to initiate a second project,” announced Grensemann. The fact that the company has focused primarily on second-hand ships over the past decade was due to the long years of the shipping crisis and an oversupply of tonnage in the sector. “We now want to return to our origins as a shipping company that implements newbuild projects.”
Despite their age of 15 and 16 years respectively, the two F-Class freighters sold are in “top condition”, as Harren managing director Joachim Zeppenfeld confirmed in a press release on Tuesday. Both ships were recently in the shipyard for their third class renewal – the “Frieda” in December and the “Jannes” in February. (mph)
