Milestone for Longship Group B.V. First new building order for Dutch shortsea operator Longship Group
11th March 2021 – Longship Group BV has placed an order for two modern Bijlsma Trader 6000 vessels, a multi-purpose vessel of 103,48 m, DWT 6,080 and 270,000 cubic feet, at Bijlsma Shipyard, Lemmer (NL) part of the VEKA Shipbuilding Group. The first of the new ships is due to be delivered in the last quarter of 2021, the second will follow in the first quarter of 2022. This expansion of Longship’s fleet, further strengthens the strong position of the company in the segment of 6000 dwt.
The €21m deal is a joint venture between Longship and the VMS Shipping Group in which both companies have an equal share. Longship will be responsible for the commercial management and VMS for the technical management. The deal builds on a strong existing relationship between Longship and both the VMS Shipping Group and the VEKA Group.
– This is a milestone in Longship’s 11 years’ history. As industrial carrier we further implement our vision of a homogeneous modern fleet. Longship serves and fully meets the requirements and priorities of our industrial customers. We are continuously looking into expansion possibilities and new technologies to ensure sustainable growth that will keep our fleet up to date and future proof, says Øyvind Sivertsen, Managing Partner and CEO of Longship.
The Bijlsma Trader 6000 is a multi-purpose vessel with a total length of 103.48 m, deadweight of approx. 6,080 mt a hold capacity of nearly 270,000 cubic feet, suitable for heavy cargo and equipped with tween decks.
– When I joined Longship as a partner in 2014, I saw a lot of opportunities and challenges in this segment.
Coastal shipping underwent many changes in respect of financing, ownership and most important the environmental aspect of the trade. It is paramount for us to find solid financial partners who can assist our growth in making coastal shipping more ecological. Consolidation of our market is inevitable too. I am a strong believer of our growth strategy. The first steps were made end of last year by acquiring 50% of Wagle Chartering. And we are looking at other opportunities as well, says Michel Cigrang, Managing Partner of Longship.
The new buildings are optimized with i.a. a low power, 1,600 kW, main engine that drives a nozzled adjustable pitch propeller, shore connection, heat recovery and ECO performance monitoring software. These systems and the design of the vessels contribute to a reduction of CO2 emissions as well as a reduced fuel consumption of about 20% compared to similar tonnages. This results in an excellent EEDI score and alignment with the IMO 2050 ambition of reducing emissions by at least 50%.
– Since our founding in 2012, we have managed to achieve a stable growth by taking third-party vessels into our management as well as by participating in several vessels. We are therefore proud that, despite our young existence, we can now realize our first new build project and have a further expansion with our partners, says Erik van der Wiel, CEO of VMS Shipping Group.
– We are delighted to support Longship with the expansion of their owned fleet with these two 6,000 DWT multi-purpose vessels. The vessel design makes use of several state-of-the-art technologies, resulting in two future-proof and IMO 2050 compliant vessels, says Reinout Vente, Relationship Manager ABN AMRO.
For more information:
Øyvind Sivertsen, CEO of Longship Group BV, mobile +31-6-250 63 183 and e-mail: OS@longship.com
Bjørn Richard Johansen, media contact, First House, mobile +47-47 800 100 and e-mail brj@firsthouse.no
Photos:
Photo 1: First newbuilding, Mv Longbay arriving in Amsterdam
Photo 2: Both vessels at the yard, Mv Longbay and Mv Longbeach
Photo 3: Both vessels at the yard, Mv Longbay and Mv Longbeach
Photo 4: Øyvind Sivertsen (right), CEO of Longship
Photo 5: Michel Cigrang, (left) Managing Partner of Longship and Øyvind Sivertsen (right), CEO of Longship Group BV
Photo 6: Michel Cigrang, Managing Partner of Longship
Short about Longship Group BV
Longship, based in Groningen in the Netherlands was established in 2009 and is a renowned industrial carrier in the short sea market. The company operates a homogeneous fleet of close to 30 modern vessels with an average age of less than 14 years. Their ships move 5 million tons of mainly bulk commodities per annum with a strong focus on biomass fuels and agricultural products, but also cargoes for the metal and aluminium industry. Its reliable and customer focused performance has led to long term relations and contracts. As such the fleet - with a stronghold in the size around 6,000 tdw - enjoys an average contract coverage in excess of 50 percent throughout the year. The company currently boasts a team of 20 experienced employees. The total turnover of the company amounted to € 71 million in 2019. For more information: www.longship.com
Short about VMS Group BV
The VMS Shipping Group, located in the Netherlands, was established in 2012 and provides tailored ship management services. VMS’s fleet consists of 18 vessels, including general cargo vessels, container vessels and heavy lift vessels with a tonnage between 3,000 and 12,000 tdw. The current office occupancy consists of 16 people, most of them with a maritime background.
More information can be found on the company’s website: www.vmsshippinggroup.com
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