VG-Shipping Ltd. (part of Meriaura Group) is growing its fleet by acquiring two 4100 DWT dry cargo vessels. The 1997 and 1998 built vessels are sisters of M/S Martta VG, a vessel that already belongs to the VG-Shipping fleet. The ships are 89.8 meters long, 13.6 meters wide, low-consumption, 1A ice classed ships, suitable for shipments in the Baltic Sea and North Sea. Both vessels fly their existing flag, Cyprus.
The acquisition is part of the strategy of Meriaura Group, which is based on self-owned tonnage completed by long-term time charter agreements. “Increasing our tonnage is a clear goal. We are constantly looking for new vessels for purchase and time chartering”, says Mr Beppe Rosin, Vice Managing Director and responsible for Meriaura’s charter operations. “We want to serve our clientele in the size of 3000 and 4000 tonners, as well as our new size class, 8,000 dwt tons. The acquired vessels strengthen our market position in the smaller size class.”
After the acquisition, VG-Shipping owns 8 cargo ships with a total load capacity of 39.000 dwt tonnes. The whole Meriaura fleet, including the time-chartered vessels, consists of 20 vessels with a total cargo capacity of 81.000 dwt.
The first vessel, named M/S Aava VG (ex. Nemuna), was delivered to VG-Shipping on 12th October in Antwerp. After discharging her first cargo in Kotka, the vessel will continue to dry dock in Tallinn. The sister ship, M/S Lotta VG (ex Visurgis) will be handed over to her new owner in the coming weeks. The names of the vessels originate from the families of VG-Shipping’s shareholders. Aava VG’s god parent is the 11-year-old daughter of Ville Koskinen, director of ship management and a shareholder of VG-Shipping. The name Lotta VG, in turn, respects the memory of the daughter of Tom Lindroos, a long-term captain and a shareholder of VG-Shipping.
