Finnish shipowner ESL Shipping on Wednesday held a christening ceremony for its first LNG-powered dry cargo vessel at the Jinling shipyard in Nanjing, China.
The first of the two new LNG-powered handysize bulk carriers ordered back in September last year, was christened Viikki in honor of the shipping company’s tradition to name its ships for places in Helsinki.
The 160-meter vessel of 26,000 dwt fueled by liquefied natural gas produces more than 50 percent lower carbon dioxide emissions than vessels of the previous generation, according to a statement by ESL Shipping.
Viikki will start operating in the Baltic Sea during the first half of 2018.
The construction of its sister vessel is also proceeding on schedule, and it will be christened in September.
This construction project is part of the Bothnia Bulk project, co-funded partly by the EU. Its objective is to modernize the sea route between Luleå, Oxelösund and Raahe to be more eco-friendly.
These vessels have been designed in Finland, and European equipment suppliers account for roughly 60 percent of all vessel systems.