Germany's revived Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft (FSG) shipyard has secured its first external newbuilding contract since it was rescued in 2020.
FSG said it will construct a ro-ro vessel with LNG propulsion worth more than €100m ($117m) for Australian company SeaRoad.
"Presently, a distance of more than 16,000 km, or almost halfway around the globe, seems insurmountable when it comes to signing a contract, unless the contracting parties agree to do so in synch via video link," FSG added.
Tasmanian-based SeaRoad finalised the contract using such a link as a face-to-face meeting in Australia or Germany was not possible.
The deal had been almost a year in the making, FSG said.
The shipyard was brought out of insolvency by Lars Windhorst's Tennor Group last year.
Windhorst's IVP Ship Invest ordered the reborn company's first new ships in November 2020 in a deal for a €140m ($168m) 4,007-lane-metre ro-ro and an option for a second.
Delivery of the first 210-metre, 32,770-gt vessel is set for April 2022.
Heavy cargo accommodated
SeaRoad's ship is also 210 metres long. Work will start in Flensburg this winter for delivery in the final three months of 2023.
The vessel will have 3,792 lane metres of capacity, with the ability to carry heavy cargo of up to 100 tonnes.
The funding partner for the project is the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, FSG added.
SeaRoad is already a familiar customer for FSG.
A previous ro-ro was delivered in 2016 and SeaRoad chartered another FSG-built vessel for three years in April this year.
"We’ve been very pleased with how the two FSG-built vessels in the SeaRoad fleet have performed from both an efficiency and operational perspective," said the shipowner's executive chairman Chas Kelly.
New era progresses well
"Sustainable design, leading technology and the excellent quality of their vessels are all important elements," he added.
In July, FSG took over compatriot shipbuilder Nobiskrug to target the superyacht market.
The company said all 280 Nobiskrug employees will be retained following the acquisition.
FSG chief executive Philipp Maracke said the SeaRoad deal is further proof of a successful start to the yard's new era.
"This additional order by a long-standing customer equals an important vote of confidence in both this new model, as well as our established expertise as an innovative German newbuilding yard," he added.
The LNG-fuelled ship will run in the Bass Strait between Devonport and Melbourne.
