Eimskip Purchases Container Ship

Iceland’s largest transport company Eimskip has purchased a containership for use on its European routes from Danish shipping company KiL Shipping A/S for more than $10 million, company officials said. Hf Eimskipafelag Islands said in a statement it was paying 890 million Iceland crowns ($10.4 million) for the vessel from KiL, which is being acquired by Norway’s privately held shipping group Tschudi & Eitzen. The ship, to be delivered to Eimskip in Rotterdam in late April, will carry an Icelandic crew and sail on Eimskip’s South Route, linking ports Icelandic ports, Immingham in northern England, and Rotterdam. The ship has a dead weight of 8,675 tons and is 126 meters long. It is equipped with two 40-ton cranes and has a reefer capacity of 140 containers below and on deck, Eimskip officials said. “With the purchase of this vessel Eimskip has renewed four vessels in scheduled sailings to Europe in a few months and taken into service more powerful and sophisticated vessels that meet the transport needs of its customers,” it said. The average age of Eimskip’s fleet in scheduled sailings is now about 10 years, compared to an average age of 15 years last year. — (Reuters)