ESL Shipping acquires world’s most eco-friendly bulk carrier

According to ESL Shipping, Viikki is to sail from the shipyard to Japan, from which it will arrive fully-laden at the Baltic Sea approximately at the end of October. The plan is that both vessels will travel to the Baltic Sea via the Northern Sea route. This shortens the travel time by nearly three weeks compared to the route via the Panama Canal and, therefore, significantly reduces the environmental impact of the trip. The use of the Northern Sea Route reduces emissions by more than 40% compared with going through the Panama Canal. The Northern Sea route can only be used for roughly two months in early fall when it is free of ice.

"These new, next-generation vessels are a good example of how Aspo as a responsible owner is aiming to help mitigate climate change. Their passage via the Northern Sea Route is a concrete indication of the impact of climate change - but also of new business opportunities. Only a handful of merchant vessels traveling the world's seas are ice-strengthened. All 50 ESL Shipping vessels are heavily ice-strengthened. What is more, we have excellent special expertise in operating in the arctic", said CEO of Aspo Plc and Chairman of the Board of Directors of ESL Shipping, Aki Ojanen.

This newbuilding project is reportedly part of the Bothnia bulk project, partly funded by the EU. Its goal is to modernise the sea route between Luleå, Oxelösund and Raahe to be more eco-friendly. In addition, environmental emissions are anticipated to decrease at the port with the improved availability of shore-side electricity. The vessels have been designed by Deltamarin in Finland, and European equipment suppliers have provided roughly 60% of all vessel systems.

Read the article online at: https://www.drybulkmagazine.com/shipping/10092018/esl-shipping-acquires-worlds-most-eco-friendly-bulk-carrier/