EMEA News
UK Owner Expands Fleet with Fuel-Saving Ships
UK-based ship owner Lomar Corp. says it has expended its fleet with the acquisition of six container ships and orders for seven newbuildings, Russian news site PortNews Informational-Analytical Agency (PortNews IAA) reports.
The firm, part of international business group the Libra Group, bought two 2004-built 1,100 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) container ships, the Boston Trader and the New York Trader, from a German K.G., plus four Singaporean built 1,078 TEU container ships, the Pac Antilia, Pac Aries, Pac Aquarius, and Pac Aquila.
The firm also declared options on five newbuildings and added two new orders from Chinese shipyards.
Two of the options are two 1,100 TEU containerships from the Yangzijiang shipyard using designs from Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute (SDARI) that greatly reduce fuel consumption.
The other declared options are a 2,190 TEU container ship from Guangzhou Wenchong Shipyard and two Ultramax bulk carriers from the COSCO Group.
Lomar will receive the first of its COSCO Ultramax bulkers, which are designed for high levels of fuel efficiency, this month.
"We are delighted to be adding to our container fleet while further asserting our commitment to the newbuilding sector with ships that are modern, efficient and well-suited to the demand profile that we see emerging in the bulker and container sectors," said CEO Achim Boehme.
Lomar exited the shipping market with the sale of 67 vessels between 2004 and 2006 and re-entered it with the acquisition of the Allocean group for $325 million in 2009, according to its website.
