Metsä Group and Royal Wagenborg Collaborate to Reduce Carbon Dioxide Emissions

April 24, 2023 - Metsä Group and the Dutch shipping company Royal Wagenborg have agreed to cooperate to reduce the climate impact of sea transport. The goal is to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from sea transport of Metsä Group products by 30 percent (per ton/mile) by 2030 compared to the 2021 level.

"One of Metsä Group's strategic sustainable development goals until 2030 is to reduce fossil emissions and materials from our own operations,” said Jari Voutilainen, director of procurement and logistics at Metsä Group. “As far as the factories are concerned, we are already quite far in realizing the goal, and we want to achieve similar development steps in our supply chain as well.

“The majority of our products are delivered to our customers by sea, and Royal Wagenborg is an important partner for us. Shipping as a whole represents about three percent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, and it is important to achieve emission reductions," Voutilainen explained.

Metsä Group and Royal Wagenborg are establishing a joint working group to define the concrete means by which the emission reduction goal can be achieved. The measures relate to, for example, the technical and operational measures of the existing Wagenborg fleet, including route optimization and fleet development. The use of new ship types is also being considered in order to achieve emission targets.

Egbert Vuursteen, CEO of Royal Wagenborg, stated, "At Royal Wagenborg, we are committed to achieving a better climate and environment. That is why we actively participate in our business in reducing carbon dioxide emissions with ambitious goals. Looking at our carbon dioxide emissions to date, we are one of the pioneers in the market.

“The Baltic Sea region has always been an important trade area for us and Metsä Group an important partner. I am convinced that carbon dioxide emissions can be reduces significantly only if measures are taken throughout the supply chain. I think this partnership with Metsä is the right way,” Vuursteen concluded.

SOURCE: Metsä Group

Spliethoff Takes Delivery of First of Two Spliethoff DP2 B-type Vessels

Feb. 7, 2023 (Press Release) - M.v. Brouwersgracht — the first of two Spliethoff DP2 B-type vessels — has been handed over from Fuzhou Mawei shipyard to Spliethoff Group on 1 February 2023. Sister vessel m.v. Bloemgracht will be delivered in about three months’ time.

The Spliethoff DP2 B-type vessels are the next generation offshore supply vessels with a number of versatile characteristics that makes them unique in the market.

These state-of-the-art vessels combine the intake of a multi-purpose vessel with a  superior DP2 station keeping ability, making them ideal for supplying large volumes and weights of cargo directly offshore. To obtain fast, safe and efficient loading and discharge of pipes both on and offshore, the vessels are equipped with a removable automated pipe handling gantry crane.

Besides, the vessels are equipped with two Huisman 500 mt Heavy Lift Mast cranes, making them also suitable for heavy lift transportation and offshore installation.

To meet the strict regulations as regards to SOx and NOx emissions, the propulsion and power generation systems are equipped with scrubbers and SCR-systems. This, combined with the fuel-efficient character of the vessels, make them environmentally friendly, fitting well in Spliethoff Group’s continuous drive for greener operations.

With 12,500 mt deadweight, an open top notation, two tween deck levels and some 5,900 m2 of total deck space, the large underdeck intake of a general cargo vessel and the station-keeping capabilities of a supply vessel are combined in these two unrivalled ships.

M.v. Brouwersgracht and m.v. Bloemgracht are already booked for their first challenging pipe supply and offshore installation jobs until April 2024, giving them the chance to do what they are designed for right from the start.

Both vessels will be technically and commercially operated by Spliethoff Group sister companies Spliethoff and BigLift Shipping, providing customers with engineered and tailor-made solutions in the various project phases.

SOURCE: Spliethoff Group

MSC and Maersk to Discontinue 2M Alliance in 2025

Jan. 25, 2023 - MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) and Maersk A/S, an entity under A.P. Moller - Maersk, have mutually agreed to terminate, effective in January 2025, the present 2M alliance.

In a joint statement, CEO Vincent Clerc of A. P. Moller - Maersk, and CEO Soren Toft of MSC say: “MSC and Maersk recognize that much has changed since the two companies signed the 10-year agreement in 2015. Discontinuing the 2M alliance paves the way for both companies to continue to pursue their individual strategies.

“We have very much appreciated the partnership and look forward to a continued strong collaboration throughout the remainder of the agreement period. We remain fully committed to delivering on the 2M alliance’s services to customers of MSC and Maersk.”

Today’s announcement has no immediate impact on the services provided to customers using the 2M trades. Each company’s customer teams will communicate with their respective clients to support during, and beyond, the phase-out of the 2M alliance.

Background information about the 2M alliance:

• 2M is a container shipping line vessel sharing agreement (VSA)
• It was introduced in 2015 by Maersk and MSC with the aim of ensuring competitive and cost-efficient operations on the Asia-Europe, Transatlantic and Transpacific trades
• The 2M agreement has a minimum term of 10 years with a 2-year notice period of termination

SOURCE: MSC and Maersk

Wagenborg Orders Fourth EasyMax Vessel From Royal Niestern Sander Shipyard

Jan. 2, 2023 - Wagenborg Shipping and Royal Niestern Sander Shipyard have come to an agreement to start the construction of another 14,000 dwt EasyMax vessel. This fourth vessel in the EasyMax series is expected to be delivered in autumn 2024.

According to Wagenborg, the repeat order fits perfectly into the production process at the yard, as the construction of the third Easymax is currently in full swing. This sister ship of the MV ‘Egbert Wagenborg’ and MV ‘Máxima’ is expected to be delivered by the end of 2023.

EasyMax Concept

The EasyMax concept is a multi-purpose vessel with a cargo capacity of 14,000 tons and was jointly developed by Wagenborg and Niestern Sander. Wagenborg was awarded the KVNR Maritime Shipping Award in 2017 for this ship design, partly due to its superior fuel efficiency.

The Egbert Wagenborg and Máxima have more than proven themselves as sustainable and successful ship types and, together with her future sisters, will continue to contribute to Wagenborg Shipping's position as a leading multipurpose shipping company.

SOURCE: Wagenborg