The Finnish shipping company Langh Ship has completed its newbuild series of 7,800-ton shortsea/MPP vessels. The last ship in the series has made its way from its construction yard to Europe.
The latest newbuilding for Langh Ship was christened “Sofia” at the Wuhu shipyard in Ningbo, China.
All three ships in the 7800 ton series have now been delivered, Langh Ship has now announced. The “Sofia” has now started its journey to Europe. However, in view of the tensions and Huthu attacks in the Red Sea, it will not be sailing through the Suez Canal, but through the Strait of Singapore and around Africa.
Langh also sails with “Sofia” for Outokumpu
Like her sister ships, the “Sofia” is also specially built for the transportation of stainless steel coils produced by Outokumpu in Finland. The liner service will operate between the Outokumpu plants in Tornio, Finland, and Terneuzen in the Netherlands. The cargo flows are “balanced”, they say: stainless steel is transported south, while raw materials, often recycled steel scrap, are transported back to the steelworks in northern Finland. Langh Ship and Outokumpu have a long-standing partnership, and the delivery of the newbuildings means that more and more cargo flows are being transported on Langh Ship’s vessels. Soon a total of six Langh Ship vessels will be deployed in Outokumpu’s liner service.
The newbuildings with a carrying capacity of 7,800 tons have a box-shaped cargo hold with adjustable bulkheads. With their dual-fuel main engine (4,500 kW), the ships are designed for operation with various alternative fuels such as LNG and bio-LNG and the use of shore power and battery technologies. In addition to LNG, the newbuildings will also be able to bunker methanol or ammonia.
The northern parts of the Baltic Sea, where Tornio is located, are challenging trading areas. In order to withstand the harsh winter conditions, the ships must have special technical features, the Finns said in a statement on the christening.
“It is truly inspiring to work as a logistics service provider for Outokumpu, as both parties share a passion for reducing shipping emissions and constantly looking for more energy-efficient transportation solutions. The latest ongoing project concerns carbon capture, where we are testing a solution we have developed on one of our vessels in the Outokumpu liner service,” said shipping company Managing Director Laura Langh-Lagerlöf.
Shortsea Shipping has been making efforts to modernize its fleet for some time. Demand is high and the fleet – unlike the deepsea MPP fleet – is likely to continue to grow, says Sabine Kilper, analyst at Hamburg-based broker Toepfer Transport, on the HANSA PODCAST.
