The Danish bulk shipping company Norden has concluded a freight contract with the mining company LKAB. For the first time, MPP ships with ice class will be used.
The contract with the state-run company LKAB is for a period of ten years and covers the transportation of bentonite from Greece to northern Sweden. The freight is to be transported by two MPP ships that Norden is having built in China for this purpose. The shipping company ordered the newbuildings from the Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group (part of CSSC) and they are due to be delivered in 2028. This is the first time Norden has invested in ships with an ice class. This supports the company’s strategy to build a more resilient and customer-centric business, Norden said.
“This transaction supports our strategy of growing long-term business with more stable earnings characteristics,” said Norden CEO Jan Rindbo. “At the same time, the addition of two ice-class vessels expands the solutions we can offer customers with transport needs in northern and ice-prone waters.”
Both vessels (23,000 twd) will be equipped with two 80-ton crane gear and will have the Finnish-Swedish ice class 1A. According to the shipping company, they are designed for “flexible and fuel-efficient operation” with a wide variety of cargo types. Operation with biofuels is also an option in order to be able to offer low-emission transport solutions.
In addition to supporting the long-term contract with LKAB, the ships will enable Norden to serve a wider range of industrial customers with a need for ice-class transportation in northern waters – “supported by modern and fuel-efficient ships.”
Contract partner LKAB (Luossavaara-Kiirunavaara Aktiebolag) is a Swedish state-owned mining company headquartered in Luleå in the north of the country. It employs around 4,500 people and operates the world’s largest iron ore mine in Kiruna.
