British tanker owner Pritchard-Gordon Tankers has added a new vessel to its fleet renewal program, bringing the total number of product tankers on order from the Chinese shipyard to three.
Pritchard-Gordon Tankers ordered two product tankers with a deadweight of 10,600 tons from China Merchants Jinling Shipyard in Yangzhou (CMJL Yangzhou) in November 2023, with expected delivery dates in the first and second quarters of 2025. The first vessel “LETTIE PG” was launched in September this year.
The latest news shows that Pritchard-Gordon Tankers has confirmed an order for a third vessel of the same type with an option vessel. This means that the number of 10,600 DWT product tankers ordered by the owner at CMJL Yangzhou reaches 3+1.
Richard Groves, Newbuilding Manager at Pritchard Gordon Tankers, said, “The tanker industry is under intense pressure to reduce its carbon footprint and we are committed to building an efficient fleet with greater flexibility for new sustainable technologies and future fuels.”
The new vessels were supplied by Wärtsilä with an integrated propulsion system, including fuel-flexible Wärtsilä 32 methanol dual-fuel engines, Wärtsilä gearboxes, shaft generators, adjustable-pitch propellers, high-efficiency rudders, a propulsion control system, a selective catalytic reduction system, and an open water-lubricated stern tube.
The new vessel is understood to have been designed by FKAB Marine Design and features FKAB’s patented F-Bow bow to reduce drag. In addition to the use of methanol fuel, the vessel also utilizes the latest environmental protection and emission reduction technologies, such as power battery peaking, solar charging, and shore power interface.