John T Essberger orders two chemical tankers from Chinese yard

In a separate announcement, Hamburg Commercial Bank (HCOB) said it financed a separate pair of 13,000-dwt chemical tanker newbuildings for the John T Essberger Group under a loan agreement with a term of just under 14 years.

HCOB described the facility as “a mid-range double-digit million-euro amount” and said delivery of the two vessels – Ann-Mari Essberger and Nofretete Essberger – is scheduled for mid-2027.

HCOB said the 13,000-dwt tankers, “with the highest ice class”, are intended for service in the North Sea and Baltic Sea.

The bank said the vessels will be equipped with engines capable of running on methanol and will comply with IMO Tier III requirements for nitrogen oxide emissions.

Each vessel will have 18 stainless steel tanks with a total capacity of 15,000 m³, HCOB said.

Hamburg Commercial Bank global head of shipping Jan-Philipp Rohr said, “Our partnership with the Essberger Group has been in place for more than 70 years, and we are very pleased to continue our co-operation with this financing and to support sustainable progress in the maritime sector.”

John T Essberger Group chief financial officer Dr Ricardo Alvarez said, “With these state-of-the-art chemical tankers, we are investing in a more sustainable future for shipping. This underscores our commitment to safety, fuel efficiency and environmental protection at the highest level.”

HCOB noted that the two 13,000-dwt vessels will be added to the E&S Tankers Pool, which it described as having a fleet of 46 ships, with technical and commercial management handled by the John T Essberger Group.

John T Essberger was the recipient of the International Chemical Tanker Industry Leader Award, with John T Essberger managing director Johan J Isaksen using his acceptance speech to emphasise staffing and seagoing roles, saying, “What really matters is our people”, and describing the company’s seafarers as “the backbone of our company”.

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