Two New Ships for A.O. Schiffahrt
In May 2012, A.O. Schiffahrt celebrated the christening of the Kamsarmax bulk carrier Caroline Oetker at the yard of Taizhou Catic Shipbuilding, near Shanghai. The sister vessel Ida Oetker was due to be christened at the same location on June 26. Both ships have a capacity of 82,000 dwt, and measure 229 x 32 m. Sponsor of the Caroline Oetker was Daniela Oetker, wife of Alexander Oetker, owner of A.O. Schiffahrt and son of Dr hc August Oetker, Chairman of the Advisory Board of Dr. August Oetker KG. With the christening of the two vessels, A.O. Schiffahrt is uniquely combining present and past, since, on the one hand, the two bulk carriers are fitted with cutting-edge technology and, on the other, they recall important milestones of German shipping and historical figures from the Oetker company. Thus the Caroline Oetker is the second ship to bear this name. The first Caroline Oetker, a turbine tanker, was delivered to Hamburg Süd by Deutsche Werft AG in Hamburg on February 26, 1957 and was the largest vessel in the German merchant fleet at the time. Both ships take their name from Caroline Oetker, the wife of company founder Dr August Oetker.
With her commitment she made an important contribution to founding, preserving and expanding the global corporation Dr. August Oetker KG. The second ship, the Ida Oetker, is named after the wife of Richard Kaselowsky, who guided the fortunes of the Dr. Oetker company from the 1920s to the 1940s. Immediately after the christening the two vessels will be placed under long-term charter with Rudolf A. Oetker (RAO), which has been an integral part of the Hamburg Süd Group’s tramp operations for 60 years.
(As published in the December 2012 edition of Maritime Reporter - www.marinelink.com)