#ports&shipping - In a break from the norm Arklow Shipping has acquired secondhand tonnage following a splurge of newbuilds delivered over recent years, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The latest addition, Arklow Dawn brings a revised fleet total to 52 multipurpose vessels. This does not include those newbuilds almost completed, among them Arklow Venus as reported recently and now the addition of this former Flinter Group B.V. cargsoship. Likewise of the newbuild, Arklow Dawn revives a vessel name albeit that been of a larger dry-cargo bulker. 

The Flinter Group was one of the largest shipping groups in the Netherlands operating around 50 multipurpose vessels in the shortsea sector. The firm however was forced into bankrupty which led to the business closing in December 2016. A leading creditor ceased funding the Group with the assets in the form of the ships put up for auction.

As for ASL's latest member of the mixed Irish and Dutch flagged fleet, Arklow Dawn flies that of the tricolor from the ship's stern with Arklow as port of registry. 

Arklow Dawn has been issued with a Certification of Classification from international classification society, Bureau Veritas based in Germany.  At 132m long and on a beam of 15m, the general cargoship that cany grain is also certified to carry containers.

The 11,204dwt cargoship has a capacity of 13,008m3 and a speed of 12 knots. The annual survey 1 was carried out earlier this year in Aalborg, Denmark.

Arklow Dawn is currently on passage from Lisbon, Portugal and heading eastbound through the English Channel. The cargoship is off the Contentin Peninsula in Normandy, France from where the ship is to sail upriver on the Seine to the inland port of Rouen.