Norway’s roro Höegh Autoliners has announced another big contract this month. The Oslo-based company said on Friday that it has signed a two-year contract with a major international car producer for transport of cars in various trade lanes.
It said the two-year extension of an existing contract came with updated new commercial terms reflecting the current market.
The company didn’t disclose the counterparty’s identity, or the amount it stands to earn from the contract.
However, it mentioned that the new contracts with mutual rate and volume commitments exceed a total value of $100m.
Shipments under the extended contract will start on January 1.
Andreas Enger, CEO of Höegh Autoliners, said: “The extension of this contract, with substantial cargo volumes in several of our core trade lines, represents another important milestone in our efforts to build a solid contract backlog and support strategically important customers.
“We have historically a long-term relationship with this customer and are delighted that they have once again chosen Höegh Autoliners as a core supplier for deep sea transport of their products for the next two years”.
Höegh Autoliners has two of its Aurora-class vessels now in operation and ten more set to enter the fleet the next 2-3 years.
To remind, the first Aurora vessel, Höegh Aurora, was delivered at a naming ceremony at China Merchants Heavy Industry’s yard in Jiangsu, China on August 8.
All vessels are being built by China Merchants Heavy Industry (CMHI), classed by DNV and registered under the Norwegian flag, «NIS».
The Aurora-class has a capacity of up to 9,100 cars and with strengthened decks and enhanced internal ramp systems, the vessels can carry electric vehicles on all 14 decks.
All Auroras will have DNV’s “ammonia ready” and “methanol ready” notations.
Recently, Höegh Autoliners welcomed the second Aurora-Class pure car and truck carrier (PCTC), Höegh Borealis, to its fleet.
The company took delivery of the 25 200-dwt vessel on October 16, following her naming ceremony on September 11, which was attended by Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Chinese officials.
The ship is the second of twelve Aurora-class vessels that the company ordered at China Merchants Heavy Industry (CMHI) as part of its transformational newbuild program.
