The Metinvest group has added a new ship of the Handysize class from the ship owner Canbaz Group (Turkey) to the fleet of its shipping lines. According to a press release by Metinvest, the Esra C bulk carrier will deliver steel from Mariupol to the Italian ports of Marghera, Monfalcone, and Ravenna.
The Esra C has a capacity of 30,000 tons. The bulk carrier’s first cargo – 23,500 tons of slabs from Azovstal – was loaded onto it at the Mariupol seaport on 22 April this year.
According to the press service, Metinvest launched its shipping lines from Mariupol in late 2014. The group now has liner services to Bulgaria, Turkey, Italy, and Spain. The shipping line’s capacity increased to 150,000 tons per month in 2015.
By the end of 2016, the fleet of Metinvest’s shipping lines will consist of 12 vessels, including three belonging to the Canbaz Group. The new destinations of its liner services include North Africa, the Middle East, and the United States.
"The development of liner shipping helps to avoid shortage of vessels and speculatively high freight rates during the grain season. It also ensures uninterrupted supply of steel products during the ice navigation season," the press service quoted the head of Metinvest’s shipping department, Andrii Smirnov, as saying.
The Metinvest group includes the Illich iron and steel works and Azovstal iron and steel works, which are both located in Mariupol. The group’s main shareholders are SCM (71.24%) and Smart-Holding (23.76%). LLC Metinvest Holding is the managing division of the Metinvest group.
