No. 5 of 12 for Vertom: The latest MPP/Shortsea newbuild “Vertom Anette” has been launched at the Thecla Bodewes shipyard.
The 7,280-tonner is the fifth ship in the so-called “Labrax” series and is intended to complement the Dutch shipping company’s fleet.
The design was created by Groot Ship Design. Arjan de Jong, CEO of Vertom Group said: “We continue to be impressed with the results achieved by Thecla Bodewes Shipyards and our newbuilding team. The performance of the four previously delivered vessels exceeds our expectations.” A total of 12 newbuildings in the series have been ordered from Thecla Bodewes.
With a length of 118.60 m and a width of 14.30 m, the vessel has a cargo capacity of 329,700 cft and a deadweight of 7,280 tons. The Vertom Group currently operates a fleet of over one hundred ships with a loading capacity of 1,500 to 12,000 dwt. According to the Hamburg-based broker Toepfer Transport, this puts Vertom in third place in the European shortsea business – behind Wagenborg and Wilson 3.67%.
Vertom focuses on low EEDI
The Labrax type has reportedly been optimised to achieve the lowest possible Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI). The freighters have a diesel-electric drive and, according to the shipping company, achieve an EEDI that is 38% lower than the current EEDI requirements of Phase 3. The installed propulsion power on board the “Vertom Anette” is significantly lower compared to ships with the same cargo capacity and conventional propulsion.
The newbuild was also christened at the launch. It was named after Anette Ruttmann, the wife of Jürgen Ruttmann, the former CEO of the German shipping company MST and former member of Vertom’s Supervisory Board.
Thecla Bodewes in the Netherlands also recently received a newbuilding order from shipping company Carisbrooke – also for a Labrax ship. The shipyard and shipping company are relying on the experience gained from previous newbuildings of this type with the ship owner Vertom: “This desired result has already proven itself with the first three newbuildings, the ‘Vertom Patty’, the ‘Vertom Cyta’ and the ‘Vertom Tomma’.”
