Breadbox Shipping begins fleet renewal
West Africa specialist with its head office in the Netherlands, Breadbox Shipping, has initiated a newbuilding program. A number of its owned or chartered vessels were approaching the end of their lifespan according to the company’s owner and CEO Joris Jan Bakker, which prompted this decision.
Two multipurpose (MPP) vessels, the Falcon with a deadweight tonnage (dwt) of 4,100 and Hyrax with a dwt of 4,500, were chartered for a long-term period and had been operating for the Breadbox Inter Africa fleet for numerous years. The contracts for both vessels expired in January and June 2024, and the company made the decision not to extend the charters. As a result, both ships were returned to their owner.
Read more: Breadbox Shipping expands Mediterranean presence
At the beginning of 2024, Breadbox completed the sale of its fully owned MPP Xerus, which was built in 1991 and had a deadweight tonnage of 3,200. Bakker also mentioned that the company has enhanced its strategic partnership with Turkish shipowner Aykop by incorporating most of Aykop’s “X fleet” (consisting of vessels with names ending in X) into Breadbox’s fleet. These vessels, which were constructed between 2006 and 2012, will take the place of the older ships in their fleet. Furthermore, Breadbox offloaded the geared MPP vessel Warthog, which had a deadweight tonnage of 8,000, to Aykop, only to lease it back for a period of three years.
Breadbox further partnered with Aykop to build four 3,800 dwt coasters at a shipyard in China. These ships, which are scheduled for delivery from late 2025, are tailored to the company’s existing business model. They will comply with Tier III standards, carry an EU Green Passport, and be constructed under RINA classification.
