#Ports&Shipping - Arklow Shipping have added yet another former Flinter Group B.V. cargoship to their 50 plus strong fleet with acquisition of a fourth 11,048dwt sister that was recently handed over in Malta, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The latest addition Arklow Dusk previously named America had arrived to Valleta's Grand Harbour in mid-May. The original grey hull colours of Flinter Group (which went bankrupt in 2016), still remained as the vessel moored in the Mediterranean island's capital port.

At the time of the bankruptcy Flinter owned 28 vessels. This saw operations involved navigating areas comprising the Atlantic region, the east coast of America and South America.

In the interim period up to January last year, the 132m double-hold cargoship launched as Flinteramerica had transferred to another Groningen based shipping managment company.

The secondhand tonnage follows the initial acquisition in Autumn last year of a pair of sisters and third sister Arklow Dale joining the fleet last month. The quartet were all built by Ferus Smits' Dutch yard in Westerbroek between 2010 and 2011.

Afloat has tracked down Arklow Dusk which today is making a maiden delivery repositioning voyage from the Mediterenean Sea to north-western Europe.

The Irish flagged cargoship equipped with deck mounted gantry cranes, had departed Marina di Carrera, Italy in late May. The port south of La Spezia is on the Ligurian Sea. This afternoon the cargoship is heading for the Bristol Channel bound for Avonmouth Docks.

Likewise of the Dusk's 'D' class sisters, they are all classed with Bureau Veritas and among the class notations, the quartet are designated with Ice Class Finnish 1A, permitting them to operate icy Baltic Sea conditions.

The ship's main engine is a Mak 8M32 from which propulsion is driven through acontrollable pitch propeller delivering a speed of around 14.1knots. For added in port assistance is a 573kw bow-thruster.

Flinter's fleet at its peak had 50 ships, consisting of multipurpose and container feeder vessels, varying in size from 3,000 to 11,000 tonnes. The range was similar to ASL albeit based only from those of the smallest short-sea traders of 4,000 tonnes.

ASL operate considereably larger vessels involving the 14,000 tonnes  'M' class bulk-carrier and the largest in the fleet a pair of 34,000 tonnes deep sea 'S' class bulk-carriers.