Meyer Werft wins gas tanker quartet

The Hamburg shipping company Harpain Reederei GmbH & Co. KG, a joint venture comprising Harpain Shipping GmbH and Hansa Hamburg Shipping GmbH & Co. KG, has ordered four ethylene/LPG carriers from Meyer Werft. Following the LPG tanker “Queen Zenobia,” this set of four ships is the second joint project of the shipping company and the investment bankers into the growing LPG market.

The four ships represent a series of a total of eight ships now under contract with Meyer Werft, four of which are already under construction. The tankers will have a length overall of 154.9 m, a breadth of 22.70 m, and a cargo capacity of 17,000 m3. They will be able to operate at a speed of 17 knots. Fully loaded with ethylene cooled down to minus 104°C, the ships will have a draught of 8.10 m. In addition to ethylene, the tankers will also be able to carry vinyl chloride monomer, ammonia and propylene oxide, cooled down to minus 48° C. The newbuildings are scheduled for delivery in 2009 and 2010. and are destined to be operated in the GasChem pool.