A & P Falmouth Has Good Outlook With Reefer Market
The reefer market has proved successful for A&P Falmouth throughout recent months with a total of six bookings for reefer ships from two separate owners. Falmouth is ideally located for the reefer trades on the ballast route from Northern Europe to loading ports in South Africa, Canary Islands and the Caribbean. Amer Shipping's 13,312 grt vessel the Amer Choapa was the first to enter the shipyard during July. Work completed during the 9 day docking included blasting and painting, steelwork repairs, hatch cover repairs, main engine survey and overhauls to the rudder and tailshaft. Following the successful completion of the Amer Choapa, the 9,070 grt Amer Whitney arrived during early August for similar works covering a 10-day period.
J. Lauritzen Buys Cool Carriers
J. Lauritzen bought Cool Carriers AB for $35.4 million from Norwegian shipping group Leif Hoegh & Co. ASA, a step in consolidation of the reefer vessel market. "The acquisition will be financed through a capital injection of 215 million crowns ($25.5 million) from the parent company J. Lauritzen Holding," it said. Reefer vessels are equipped with refrigeration facilities to transport perishable foodstuffs. The takeover of the Swedish-based group, effective January 1, 2001, would create the world's leading specialized reefer vessel operator in a new company to be named Lauritzen Cool AB, it said. "With the establishment of Lauritzen Cool the first step towards the long sought-for consolidation of the global reefer market has now been taken," it said.
Leif Hoegh To Buy Remaining Stake in Unicool
Leif Hoegh & Co. ASA announced plans to buy the remaining 50 percent of reefer operator Unicool, in which it already holds a 49.8 percent stake. Final negotiations for the deal re expected to take place next week. The price of the deal is to remain confidential, officials said. Unicool is the world's biggest operator of refrigerated ships and has 68 vessels.
