Samskip acquires the 909TEU container vessels Arnarfell and Helgafell

News Release Samskip hf. April 27, 2012

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Samskip has acquired the container
vessels Arnarfell and Helgafell, both of which have been employed
by the company on the route between Iceland and Europe since early 2005.

 Samskip has been chartering the
vessels since they were delivered as newbuilds seven years ago. From the
beginning they have proved to be very reliable and highly suitable for the route
they serve. Both vessels have Icelandic crews, who enjoy first class
accommodation.
 The two 909TEU sister vessels were
built by J J Sietas in Hamburg and each vessel has a deadweight of 11,143
tonnes. They measure 138m in length, 21m in beam and have a maximum service
speed of 18.4 knots. They maintain a weekly schedule between Iceland and Europe,
departing from Reykjavík on a Thursday night with a stop-over in the Westman
Islands on the way to Immingham. From there they call Rotterdam, Cuxhaven,
Varberg, Aarhus, and the Faroese Islands, returning to Reykjavík on a Wednesday
morning. 
 The world market price for
container vessels is favourable at the moment, says Ásbjörn Gíslason, CEO of
Samskip hf in Iceland:
 
“Consequently, when an interesting
opportunity to buy presented itself, we were on board. This investment we feel
is a good one especially since the ships were specifically designed for our
needs. We also managed to secure favourable financing, a recognition of the
company’s good and strong position and a reflection of the trust we enjoy. The
financing was arranged by German banks.”
 In 2011, Samskip also invested in
two new 800TEU container vessels, also specifically designed for the company, in
this case by the Dutch shipbuilder Damen. They serve on routes between the
Netherlands and the UK and Ireland. That purchase was Samskip’s first investment
in container vessels for some time. 
For further information,
schedule details or a Samskip service contact, please do not hesitate to contact
your local office or visit our website: <A
href="redir.aspx?C=a8d03f60574748bf84eadca972df65c2&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.samskip.com"
target=_blank>www.samskip.com</A>. 
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