Himalaya Shipping has taken delivery of the first of twelve LNG-powered Newcastlemax bulk carriers in China.
Tor Olav Trøim’s Himalaya announced this in a statement on Thursday, saying the 208,000-dwt LNG dual-fuel Mount Norefjell would start a two-year time charter at $30,000 per day, gross.
New Times Shipbuilding launched this vessel and Mount Ita in November 2022, and after that Mount Norefjell completed its sea trials in January this year.
In December, Himalaya revealed a charter deal with a “major Japanese counterpart” for this LNG-powered bulker.
Prior to this contract, Himalaya already chartered six out of the twelve 208,000-dwt LNG dual-fuel bulk carriers, and the firm has five more uncontracted vessels.
Himalaya said in the statement on Thursday it expects to take delivery of a further two vessels over the next 45 days, and another three vessels by the end of 2023.
The remaining six vessels are expected to be delivered by the end of third quarter 2024.
“We are excited to take delivery of the first vessel, marking the start of commercial operations for Himalaya Shipping,” Herman Billung, contracted CEO of Himalaya, said.
“The charter illustrates the superior commercial value our ships deliver to our customers. We are thankful to the shipyard which have delivered a high-quality vessel on time, despite the difficult lock-down situation in China,” Billung said.