Grieg Maritime orders up to four ammonia-ready open-hatch bulkers

Norwegian shipowner Grieg Maritime Group has placed an order for up to four ammonia-ready open-hatch bulk carriers at CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Longxue in China.

As explained, the deal with the Chinese shipyard includes two new vessels, with an option to construct additional two bulk carriers.

The ships will be ammonia ready and equipped with MAN Energy Solutions’ (MAN ES) B&W 5S60ME engine and prepared for tanks holding 3,000 cbm of ammonia on deck. Their overall length will be 225 meters, with a beam of 36 meters and a draft of 13,85 meters. 

They are designed to meet the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) EEDI Phase 3 and have been developed with input from Grieg Shipbrokers and G2 Ocean.

With a carrying capacity of over 82,000 dwt, the new vessles will dwarf the 50,800 dwt L-class, previously the latest and largest vessels in the Grieg Maritime’s fleet.

Furthermore, the Chinese shipbuilder will deliver the first of the four future-proof vessels in the spring of 2026, with the following three throughout the year. 

“This class of vessels shows we are serious about climate action and plan to stay a leading player in the Open Hatch segment. We are delighted with the design and specifications of these ships,” said CEO Matt Duke of Grieg Maritime Group.

“On behalf of CSSC Huangpu Wenchong, I would like to express my gratitude to the Grieg for their trust and support, and we are excited to receive this new order of 2+2 82,300 DWT MPVs which marks the first order of this size at our shipyard and look forward to working with the Grieg Maritime Group and establishing a long-term and good cooperative relationship,” stated Han Jianbing, Deputy General Manager of CSSC Huangpu Wenchong.

All ships will be classed by classification society DNV and sail under the Norwegian NIS flag, with Bergen as the home port.

Grieg Maritime is committed to the Norwegian Shipowner’s Association‘s climate targets. A part of its decarbonisation efforts, the company wants to only order ships with zero-emission technology from 2030.

“These vessels are halfway there, as they give us the flexibility to be close to emission-free as soon as the fuels are available. The design doesn’t tie us to just one fuel but lets us keep our options. We believe in ammonia for these ships. However, we can also look to methanol or carbon capture depending on how the technology develops,” concluded the Head of Shipowning in Grieg Maritime Group, Nicolai Grieg.