MR2 Newbuilding Joins Maersk Tankers’ Fleet

Maersk Tankers, part of the Danish shipping conglomerate Maersk, has taken delivery of Maersk Timaru, a 51,800 dwt product tanker, from South Korea’s Sungdong shipyard.

Completed in late October 2016, the MR2 tanker is part of Maersk Tankers’ investment in 19 new vessels, which is aimed at renewing parts of the company’s fleet.

With a gross tonnage of 29,455 tons, Maersk Timaru features a length of 183.1 meters and a width of 32.2 meters.

“The vessel has been designed specifically to save fuel. She has a more efficient engine, different hull dynamics, the propeller is designed to be better at moving the water,” Captain Piotr Wieczorek said, adding that LED lights are also installed on board the vessel to use less energy.

Maersk Timaru is one of more than 80 vessels owned by Maersk Tankers carrying products such as gasoline, naphtha and palm oil.

In April 2016, the company christened two newbuildings at Sungdong shipyard, which are part of its fleet renewal plan. In 2015, Maersk Tankers named the first two of ten vessels ordered from the same shipyard.

Last year, the firm said that approximately 20% of Maersk Tankers’ fleet will be replaced in the next few years with newbuilds already ordered. The company revealed that it has ten vessels from Sungdong and nine additional MR vessels from Ningbo shipyard in China, scheduled for delivery in 2017 and 2018.