James Fisher & Sons plc, based in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England, has placed a contract order for four state-of-the-art new-build tankers in an overseas shipyard.
The order for the quartet is with China Merchants Jinling. Shipyard (Yangzhou) Dingheng Co. Ltd, marks a continuation of the UK company’s commitment to building its ‘fleet of the future’ and driving innovation and sustainability in maritime operations.
The new tankers will form part of their product and chemical tanker division, James Fisher Everard (JFE), and will carry oil products and IMO Class II chemicals. They will have LNG dual fuel propulsion capability that will help to reduce operational CO2 emissions and associated environmental impact over the long term.
In 2021, James Fisher announced its plan to add two new liquefied natural gas (LNG) dual-fuel IMO II tankers to its fleet. Since then it has taken delivery of both of the twins, Sir John Fisher (observed in Dublin Bay) having joined the fleet in late 2022 and, as Afloat reported, the Lady Maria Fisher (see photo), which followed almost two years ago. Each of the pair is around 6,000 deadweight tons (dwt) and was also built by the (CMJL) shipyard.
A number of successful features will add to the overall sustainability of the new builds and will be carried over from recent additions as the new tankers will include optimized hull form, waste heat recovery through cooling water and exhaust gas, 100 percent LED lighting and environmentally controlled engine room fans. In addition, the newbuild tankers will incorporate further energy efficiency measures to enhance their sustainability, in particular to address emissions in port.
Steel cutting took place in November, with the delivery of the first of the quartet tankers expected at the end of 2025. The new vessels are a key part of the company’s strategy for the future, to enhance its service offering and operational efficiency.
JFE operates a fleet of product tankers from 3,000 to 35,000 metric tons in capacity, providing marine transportation on the northern European coastline and in the Caribbean islands, carrying grades such as petrol, diesel, kerosene, and easy chemicals.
