German shipping company GEFO Shipping Group has signed a contract for the construction of 2+2 7,900 dwt Ice Class 1A stainless steel chemical tankers with XMXYG Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (XMXYG SOE), which are expected to be delivered between late 2026 and early 2027.
The new shipbuildings, which is specifically optimized for the often rough weather strips of the North Sea and Baltic Sea, are described as having a methanol reserved design that can be retrofitted to use methanol fuel in the future, and will be equipped with a Flettner rotors to further reduce fuel.
Notably, this is another cooperation between GEFO and XMXYG SOE since February this year, when the two parties signed a contract for the construction of 10 stainless steel chemical tankers of 3,850 dwt, which are expected to be delivered between 2026 and 2028. GEFO said the series of new chemical tankers will be used to expand the GEFO Group’s chemical transportation fleet and to replace some of the old ones that will reach their maximum age of 20 years between 2028 and 2030.
Founded in 1961 and family-owned, GEFO launched a €400 million investment program in 2022 for a series of newbuilds and second-hand vessels, and the group now has a fleet of 150 vessels for the transportation of cargoes such as chemicals, natural gas, and mineral oils deployed in the Antwerp-Rotterdam-Amsterdam (ARA) Chemical Triangle, according to the official website.
Not including GEFO’s latest order, Clarkson data shows that there are currently a total of 77 vessels was hand-held by XMXYG SOE, with deliveries scheduled through 2029.
