Norden enters capesize segment

NORDEN has acquired four Capesize vessels in two separate transactions this month to improve its portfolio of freight service solutions towards our dry-segment customers, according to the company’s release.

With the acquisitions, NORDEN will now offer a full-service approach where the company is able to support customers across all dry-segments with cargo loads between 5,000-200,000 tonnes.

In 2022, NORDEN moved into port logistics where the company currently operates a transshipment facility for a mining customer in Gabon in Central Africa. By venturing into the Capesize segment, NORDEN will now be able to enhance the scope of current and future logistics projects by providing customers with the optionality to upsize, thereby bringing down operational costs and complexity, while potentially reducing emissions.The four vessels are expected to be delivered during the coming months.

Capesize bulk carriers are usually between 150,000-210,000 tonnes in deadweight. The majority of this class is also referred to as Dunkirk-max, having a deadweight of around 180,000 tonnes and a length of 289 meters. The vessels are 45 meters wide with a draft of about 18 meters when fully loaded. The name Capesize originates from a time when the vessels were too large to transit the Suez Canal and Panama Canal and instead had to traverse between oceans via either Cape of Good Hope or Cape Horn.