Icelandic shipping company Eimskip has approved newbuild contracts for two 2,280TEU container vessels, which it will take on a ten-year time-charter. Eimskip said the new ships will be the largest in the company’s operations.
The newbuild contracts have been signed by ElbFeeder, a German affiliate of Eimskip, with the China Merchants Jinling Shipyard in Nanjing. Delivery of the two vessels is expected in the second half of 2028. Eimskip stated that the ten-year time-charter will result in an expected lease liability of $86 million on its balance sheet.
The vessels are intended to provide transportation services on the company’s "blue line" route, which connects Reykjavík, Iceland, with Rotterdam in the Netherlands and Teesport in the UK. With a length of 185 metres, the ships will be specifically designed for the conditions in the North Atlantic, with a focus on service speed and high manoeuvrability. They will also feature a dual-fuel propulsion system and will be methanol- and LNG-ready.
Vilhelm Már Thorsteinsson, CEO of Eimskip, stated that the company is taking an important step in renewing its fleet to meet the significant growth in customer demand for the transportation of fresh cargo, particularly exports of fresh seafood and farmed salmon from Iceland. He added that the new, larger vessels will also support further growth in the company's trans-Atlantic services.