SWEDEN’s Wallenius Lines has acquired two 30-year old PCTCs from its joint venture company Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics with the stated aim of increasing the country’s defence readiness.
The 5,846 CEU-built Turandot and Don Juan are part of a large group of sisterships built by South Korea’s Daewoo and originally delivered to Wallenius before the merger with Wilhelmsen. Initially placed under the Singapore flag and transferred to the Norwegian International Ship Registry in 2023, they are the only two of the class not to have been lengthened in the mid-2000s
Wallenius Lines says the pair will now fly the Swedish flag and “help to further develop Sweden's maritime expertise and increase the availability of vessels that can assist society and the Armed Forces when needed.
“Together with the company's six other vessels, the two ships will be important assets in Soya Group's growing commitment to total defense. In a time of changing security and market conditions, access to a national fleet is crucial for maintaining critical transport services in the event of disruptions,” the company said.
“These ships still have a cargo capacity that meets today's needs. For us, sustainability is also about utilizing current assets throughout their entire service life, and with the right fuel mix, they can operate for many years to come,” Erik Nøklebye, Wallenius Lines CEO, said.
After docking early this month September, Don Juan will enter charter service based in Asia, while Turandot is scheduled to enter service around the turn of the year. With these two additions, Wallenius Lines' fleet now consists of eight vessels. Ship Management will continue to be provided by Wallenius Marine.
PCTC vessel Don Juan. Image: Dale Crisp
Both vessels are familiar in Oceania on Wallenius Wilhelmsen and Armacup services.
Wallenius Lines is part of the Soya Group, which consists of several companies within shipping (Wallenius Lines and Wallenius Marine), real estate (Wallfast and Hässelby Hem), stud farms and agriculture (Menhammar Stud Farm and Menhammar Farm) and water purification (Wallenius Water Innovation). The Soya Group is also involved in several external companies with a strong commitment to sustainable shipping.
Wallenius and Wilhelmsen first partnered in 1999 and formalised the corporate structure at the end of 2016. The parties combined their ownership in the jointly owned entities Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics (jointly owned 100%), EUKOR Car Carriers (jointly owned 80%) and American Roll-on Roll-off Carrier (jointly owned 100%) in a new entity, Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics ASA. In addition, the parties agreed to merge the ownership of the majority of their vessels and affected assets and liabilities. Each held 40% of the new entity, with the rest in public hands.
Since then Wallenius and Wilhelmsen have maintained and expanded their separate interests.