By Antonis Tsimplakis

 

 

Aegean Shipping Management and COSCO SHIPPING Heavy Industry Yangzhou reached an agreement for the construction of two more tankers, type LR2 ice class, with a carrying capacity of 114,000 dwt each. Following the latest development, Aegean will have built 14 ships in COSCO berths. As Mr. Swem Sun, COSCO’s Managing Director of Commercial Headquarters, pointed out, this latest order brings Aegean Shipping Management of George Melisanidis to the top of the list of the Chinese group’s major clients in Europe, in terms of the number of ships.

 

After the new agreement signed between the two parties, during an online meeting, Mr. Sun highlighted, among others: “Today’s signing of the agreement for the construction of two LR2 type tankers, between the COSCO SHIPPING Heavy Industry group and Aegean Shipping Management is a milestone for the cooperation of the two parties. The shipping group of Greek interests is now the largest customer of COSCO’s shipbuilding sector, in terms of number of ships in Europe”.

 

 

Including the two LR ice class, which Aegean is building for the first time, eight tankers and six bulk carriers will have been built in the Cosco yards.

Mr. Melisanidis highlighted the very close, friendly relations of Aegean Shipping with the COSCO group.

 

He focused on the perfect cooperation that the two sides have had over the last years as well as on the state-of-the-art ships that the Chinese group has built for Aegean Shipping Management.

 

These are ships with the most modern and at the same time high-quality and sustainable equipment.

 

Special attention was placed on the efforts made by the company’s executive staff, in order to successfully conclude this new agreement.

 

 

On his part, Mr. Fedon Tomazos, director of Cass Technava, underlined that Aegean Shipping Management showed confidence in COSCO shipyards when it placed its first orders, and since then it has “never looked back”, it has never discussed with another yard, showing such a loyalty, which is extremely difficult to achieve in today’s market.

 

The ships

 

The two LR2 type tankers under construction will be ice class. This is a type of ship that is being ordered for the first time by the company, which continues the tradition of investing exclusively in new ships.

 

They will be compatible with the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) – Phase III. They will also have the latest version of MAN B&W electric motors that ensures optimal fuel consumption.

 

The installation of energy saving devices Pre-shrouded Vanes (PSV) and Hub Vortex Absorber Fins (HVAF) will enhance the power output of the vessel.

 

 

Energy savings are also achieved by introducing LED lighting, as well as by installing frequency converters in each seawater pump in the engine room.

Moreover, the ships will have installed proven state-of-the-art marine ballast treatment systems.

 

The QUALSHIP21

 

On October 23, 2023, Aegean Shipping Management was again recognized by the US Coast Guard for meeting the requirements of the QUALSHIP21 program.

On January 1, 2001, the US Coast Guard implemented an initiative to identify high-quality vessels and provide incentives to encourage quality operation. This initiative is called QUALSHIP 21, quality shipping for the 21st century. This is considered to be the highest “certification” for a company’s ships, since it complies with the strictest conditions worldwide.

 

The ships of Aegean Shipping Management that received the QUALSHIP 21 are “Green Planet”, “Green Sea” and “Green Admire”, which operate in the waters of the United States.

 

Aegean

 

Aegean Shipping Management has a fleet of 15 modern tankers and bulk carriers, while after the two LR2s under construction, it will reach 17. The company’s fleet (nine tankers and six bulk carriers) is one of the most modern in the world. The average age of the active fleet reaches 3.8 years, while its total capacity is 1.32 million dwt.

 

ESG

 

Aegean is one of the first private shipping companies in Greece to adopt Environment, Society and Governance (ESG) standards. It published the first ESG report in 2019, which was also followed in 2020 and 2021. The reports are available to the public on the company’s website. The ESG report outlines the company’s ESG strategy and approach based on actual performance in comparison with the previous years, industry benchmarks and future goals.