New ship naming ceremonies in South Korea

The Suezmax tanker AST Sunshine was named yesterday at a ceremony at Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) in Geoje, South Korea. The vessel is owned by Stena Bulk and Japanese Asahi Tankers, each with 50 percent, in the joint venture Asahi Stena Tankers. The tanker is a third generation, fuel-efficient Suezmax and will be employed on the spot market via the Stena Sonangol Suezmax Pool. Delivery is set for Sunday, 13 January 2013 when the tanker will sail with a cargo of gas oil from South Korea to Europe.

The AST Sunshine’s godfather is Mr. Katsumi Goto, President of Idemitsu Tanker. The AST Sunshine is the sixth tanker in a series of seven units, each representing an investment of just under SEK 500 million, designed by Stena Bulk and ordered at the beginning of 2010.Together with SHI, Stena Teknik has been responsible for the development of the new ship model, where the focus has been on energy efficiency. The vessel’s technical equipment and design mean that fuel consumption can be reduced by up to 10-15 percent compared with standard tonnage. “We are very satisfied with the vessels delivered so far and the quality and precision of the Samsung shipyard. With this tanker, we now have yet another addition to the successful pool collaboration with Sonangol”, says Erik Hånell, President & CEO of Stena Bulk.

The Stena Sonangol Suezmax Pool is controlled by Stena Bulk and the Angolan state-owned oil company Sonanagol. The pool currently consists of around thirty fuel-efficient Suezmax tankers and the average age of the fleet is about three years. Stena Bulk’s offices in Houston, Gothenburg, Rio de Janeiro and Singapore are responsible for the operation and chartering of the vessels in the pool.

Technical data for the AST Sunshine:
Suezmax, Length: 274.0 metres, Beam: 48.0 metres; Deadweight: 158,700 tons

The Suezmax tanker Sonangol Cabinda will be named on Saturday, 12 January at the DSME Okpo shipyard in Busan, South Korea. The Sonangol Cabinda is the last in a series of identical tankers, all of which will be included in the Stena Sonangol Suezmax Pool. These vessels are owned by the state-owned Angolan oil company Sonangol. Delivery is set for Tuesday, 15 January, when the tanker will sail with a cargo of gas oil from South Korea to West Africa.

For further information, contact:

Erik Hånell
President & CEO
Stena Bulk AB
Mobile: +46 704 855 002
erik.hanell@stenabulk.com                                     

With offices in six countries, Stena Bulk is one of the world’s leading tanker shipping companies. The company controls a combined fleet of around 100 tankers. Stena Bulk is part of the Stena Sphere, which has more than 20,000 employees and sales of SEK 60 billion. www.stenabulk.com

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