Four shipping companies from Sweden, Norway and Canada have co-ordered new dual-fuel-capable VINGA-series tankers, bringing the series to a total of 26 vessels, Sweden's family-owned Furetank announced in an emailed statement on Friday.

FureBear, a joint venture between Canada's Algoma Central and Furetank, will own two of the vessels. Norway's O.H. Meling and Sweden's Älvtank will each take one.

The 17,999 DWT product tankers will be built in Yangzhou, China, with deliveries scheduled for 2028 and 2029. Once delivered, the vessels will fly the Swedish flag and join the Gothia Tanker Alliance, a Swedish-flag commercial pool for intermediate tankers operating mainly in northern Europe.

The new tankers are designed to run on LNG, liquid biomethane or conventional marine fuels, and will also be equipped with shore power capability and battery hybrid systems. The multi-fuel approach reflects broader moves across shipping to cut greenhouse gas intensity, as the IMO has adopted net-zero targets for international shipping and the EU has extended its emissions trading system to cover maritime CO2 from 2024. Biofuels such as liquid biomethane are among the options vessel operators are adopting because they can cut lifecycle emissions without a full redesign of LNG-capable engines.

"As policy direction and customer needs continue to place greater value on environmental performance in transport, we believe the VINGA design remains well positioned for the future," Lars Höglund, CEO of Furetank, said.

Source: Ship & Bunker (https://shipandbunker.com/news/world/687518-four-shipowners-order-new-dual-fuel-vinga-series-tankers)