A new 2,400 TEU vessel, the Chefoo, has been introduced into the Swire Shipping fleet and it will be deployed on the on Swire’s South East Asia service, which connects South East Asia to Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands.
The South East Asia service is part of Swire Shipping’s network focused on connecting global supply chains to the communities of Papua New Guinea and the Pacific Islands
“We recognise that our key markets rely on shipping services to open vital supply chains and enable growth. Our continued investments in our business and the deployment of MV Chefoo further strengthens our commitment to facilitating growth and trade in the Pacific region,” said Mr Jeremy Sutton, General Manager, Swire Shipping.
“Communities in the Pacific rely heavily on seaborne trade to supply essential goods such as food, fuel, equipment, industrial materials and manufactured products, and to export commodities vital to global growth,” added Mr Sutton.
The Chefoo (IMO 9848766) has three 45 tonne cranes. An earlier statement from Swire Shipping indicates that the cranes also have the ability to complete 90 tonne tandem lifts. The current statement adds that the Chefoo has 75 tonne safe working load stoppers, lashing eyes and strengthened tank tops to 20 tonnes.
“The vessel is well-suited to handle both containerised and non-containerised cargo,” the company reports.
Chefoo is the second of four vessels built by CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding. Chefoo’s sister vessel, the Changsha, entered service in March 2020 and is also deployed on Swire Shipping’s South East Asia to Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands service.
According to earlier statements from Swire Shipping, both the Chefoo and the Changsha a part of an order for eight feeder ships (four 2,400 TEU vessels and four 2,750 TEU vessels) scheduled for delivery this year. The 2,400 TEU vessels are reported by Swire Shipping to have a capacity of 30,400 deadweight and dimensions of 186m length overall, 32.2m breadth and 10.5m draught. The cranes
Swire Shipping is the liner shipping division of Shipping Australia member, the China Navigation Company. Swire Shipping owns and operates 30 vessels at the time of writing provides 13 high frequency liner shipping services. Making about 2,200 port calls a year across 69 countries, Swire Shipping vessels handle project, heavy lift, refrigerated, breakbulk, mini bulk cargoes and containers. The division connects to 400 ports and it maintains a worldwide agency network.
China Navigation employs over 2,600 people around the world and owns/operates 154 vessels. Trading across 94 countries around the world, the company carried 363 types of commodities which, in 2019, amounted to 29.3 million tonnes of cargo.
