Greek shipping company Athenian Sea Carriers, controlled by the Kyriakou family, is further expanding its chemical tanker newbuildings.
Athenian Sea Carriers has returned to Wuchang Shipbuilding, a subsidiary of the China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), to place an additional order for two IMO 2/3 18,500 dwt chemical tankers, increasing the number of vessels of the same type in Wuchang Shipbuilding to 10 units, according to Trade Winds. The delivery date of the latest order has not yet been disclosed.
The remaining eight chemical tankers were made public on March 17, 2023 and early October, respectively, all in a quantity of four units, to be delivered in 2025 and 2026, respectively.The single unit cost of the first eight chemical tankers is roughly the same, about $30 million. If this is estimated, the total value of the current ten 18,500 dwt chemical tankers is about $300 million (about RMB 2.182 billion).
At present, the first eight 18,500 DWT chemical tankers have entered the batch construction stage in Wuchang Shipbuilding. The first one was officially started on February 20, 2024; the 2nd one on March 25; and the 3rd one on May 22 successfully.
Classed by LR, this series chemical tanker has an overall length of 149.8 meters, a beam of 22.8 meters, a depth of 12.7 meters, a design draft of 8.5 meters, with a range of 10,000 nautical miles, a speed of 13 knots. It is of methanol/LNG dual-fuel ready design, offering a high degree of flexibility in terms of future dual-fuel and its range options.
This chemical tanker meets the latest IMO III emission requirements in bunker mode and the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) meets Phase 3 requirements starting in 2025. It is suitable for the transportation of IMO Class II and III chemicals with ice reinforcement and adapted to global navigation. Compared with the mainstream vessel design in the market. It has the advantages of green environmental protection, large loading capacity, high fuel efficiency, low emission and small carbon footprint, which has a broad market prospect.
According to the official website, the Kyriakou family’s shipping history dates back to 1852, and Athenian Sea Carriers has previously specialized in very large crude carriers (VLCCs).