GSI Completes 13-vessel Series for Stena Bulk

By Eric Haun February 1, 2018

The Stena Impero naming ceremony ended with confetti (Photo: Stena Bulk)
Godmother Jean Mulholland cuts the ribbon at the Stena Impero naming ceremony (Photo: Stena Bulk)
Erik Hånell, president and CEO of Stena Bulk, with Stena Impero godmother Jean Mulholland (Photo: Stena Bulk)
Godmother Jean Mulholland with her husband Kevin Mulholland from Phillips 66 (Photo: Stena Bulk)
A large number of guests, including customers, partners, employees and representatives of the shipyard and corporate management, gathered at the shipyard to attend the Stena Impero naming ceremony. (Photo: Stena Bulk)
The bottle of champagne breaks against the bow of Stena Impero (Photo: Stena Bulk)

The final vessel has been named in a series of 13 chemical and product tankers ordered by Stena Bulk at the Guangzhou Shipbuilding International (GSI) shipyard.

The 50,000 dwt MR tanker Stena Impero was named on Wednesday in Guangzhou, China, completing a series of newbuilds ordered at Chinese shipyard GSI in 2012 for SEK 4 billion ($508 million).

Erik Hånell, president and CEO of Stena Bulk, said, “With the delivery of the Stena Impero, the IMOIIMAX fleet is now complete, in line with the order, and is a significant and competitive addition to our high-quality fleet. At the same time, it is an important step forward and a development of our existing sophisticated trading system.”

Stena Impero (length: 183 meters, beam: 32 meters) is scheduled to be delivered to owner Stena Bulk on February 7, after which the vessel will make its maiden voyage carrying a cargo of vegetable oils from Asia to Europe and joining its 12 delivered sister vessels in the transport of refined petroleum products, chemicals and vegetable oils.

“It was exactly three years ago that we took delivery of our first vessel in the IMOIIMAX series and the vessels have performed beyond our expectations. Both the technical and the commercial concepts have proved to be very successful and have set a new standard for cargo efficiency and bunker consumption,” Hånell said.

The 13 tankers in the series are of the IMOIIMAX design concept developed by Stena Bulk and Stena Teknik together with GSI. An IMOIIMAX tanker has 18 separate tanks (3,000 m3/tank), which provides for cargo flexibility and combination. The tanks are coated with Jotun Flexline, which means they can be easily cleaned and used for other cargoes to quickly switch between different markets, Stena Bulk said.

IMOIIMAX fleet (name, delivery date and owner)

Stena Impression, 2015, Golden Stena Bulk*

Stena Image, 2015, Concordia Maritime

Stena Imperial, 2015, Golden Stena Bulk

Stena Important, 2015, Concordia Maritime

Stena Imperative, 2016, Stena Bulk

StenaWeco Impulse, 2016, Stena Weco

Stena Imagination, 2016, Golden Stena Bulk

Stena Immortal, 2016, Golden Stena Bulk

Stena Immaculate, 2017, Stena Bulk

Stena Impeccable, 2017, Stena Bulk

Stena Imperator, 2017, Stena Bulk