NORWAY’S forest products and dry bulk specialist G2Ocean is adding six new open hatch gantry crane vessels as part of its fleet renewal program.
Greig Maritime Group, which partners MOL-owned Gearbulk in G2Ocean, yesterday [27 May] announced orders for six 65,400 DWT open-hatch gantry crane vessels at New Dayang Shipbuilding Co, Yangzhou, China.
These are designed to bridge the gap between G2Ocean’s larger 72,000 DWT gantry vessels and smaller vessels ranging from 36,000-55,000 DWT. Two ships will be owned outright by Greig while six will be bareboat chartered to Gearbulk from Canada’s Seaspan, now 49% owned by Japan’s ONE (Ocean Network Express), which is diversifying from container ships. Deliveries will begin in 2029.
These investments come in addition to the delivery of 10 newbuildings, each with a deadweight of 82,300 tonnes, to G2 Ocean’s fleet between 2026 and 2029. The first vessel, Star Norge, was delivered in January 2026.
“Through investments in both newbuildings and our existing fleet, G2 Ocean is strengthening its long-term service offering, providing cargo owners with safe, flexible, reliable and sustainable cargo solutions,” Arthur English, CEO at G2 Ocean, said.
The combined investments reflect a long-term commitment by G2 Ocean’s shareholders and pool participants, Gearbulk and Grieg Maritime Group, to support the company’s growth ambitions and evolving customer requirements across multiple cargo segments.
The six open-hatch ships will enable the company to offer an optimal selection of gantry vessels tailored to meet customers’ specific requirements., it says.
“This investment continues the development of our geared fleet of both jib craned and gantry craned vessels. As a global service provider, we believe it is essential to maintain a highly flexible fleet so that we can tailor solutions for our customers’ needs,” Mr English said.
In addition to the newbuilding programme, G2 Ocean and its pool participants are investing in upgrades to the existing fleet.
As part of this effort, the 49,924 DWT general cargo vessel, Star Kirkenes, will be equipped with AirWing™20 jet sails, an advanced wind‑assisted propulsion system.
The company operates a monthly service between Australia/NZ and North & East Asia, calling Port Adelaide, Portland, Newcastle, Gladstone, Port Kembla and Bluff, and Qingdao, Taicang, Fangcheng, Kaohsiung, Yokohama, Nagoya, Osaka, Toyama and Busan. Not all ports are called every voyage.