Chowgule splashes Vertom’s second 6,000 dwt diesel-electric vessel

Dutch short-sea shipping company Vertom Group recently named the second unit in a series of twelve 6,000 dwt diesel-electric vessels that the company booked at India’s Chowgule shipyard.

As disclosed, Vertom held a christening ceremony for the latest addition to its fleet’s roster, the MV Vertom Rian, on March 16, 2025, during which the ship touched water for the first time.

Once work on the newbuilding is finalized, representatives from Vertom said they expect MV Vertom Rian to be handed over by the end of May 2025.

Watch the launching ceremony of MV Vertom Rian here

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Owing to its diesel-electric propulsion system, the ship is projected to emit fewer carbon emissions and thus ensure compliance with global sustainability guidelines and regulations.

Headquartered in Rhoon, near the Netherlands’ second largest city of Rotterdam, Vertom Group commissioned Chowgule for the construction of the twelve units back in February 2024.

At the time when the announcement regarding the order was disclosed, the company said that the first ship in the series was already being built, adding that the “cooperation based on sustainability” between the two partners would continue until ‘at least 2029.’

It is understood that the dozen 6,000 dwt vessels ordered by Vertom Group from Chowgule Shipyards are shorter versions of the former’s 7,280 dwt vessels built in the Netherlands.

The inaugural newbuild, the 99-meter-long MV Vertom Rita, which boasts a 3,923 gross tonnage, joined the company’s fleet in December 2024. The vessel was reportedly readied for the utilization of future fuels, too, including methanol-electric or hydrogen-electric propulsion.

As the maritime industry inches ever closer to its decarbonization targets, Vertom Group has made plans to ‘fortify’ its own efforts oriented toward sustainability.

To remind, in parallel to waiting for the remainder of the twelve ships to be handed over, Vertom is also expecting to roll the red carpet for the eight methanol/hydrogen-ready electric bulk carriers, that belong to the ‘specially designed’ LABRAX series. The vessels were ordered at compatriot Thecla Bodewes Shipyards.

Namely, in 2022, it was revealed that Vertom had bid the welcome bell to the first of these units, the 7,000 dwt MV Vertom Patty, part of a six-unit-strong order. In February 2023, Vertom added two more to the series, bringing the number to eight, with the entire series scheduled for delivery by mid-2025.

MV Vertom Lisa, the sixth LABRAX vessel, hit the water in late July 2024, whereas the seventh one was christened in December 2024.