Oldendorff Centenary Book - Flipbook - Page 312
Deadweight capacity increased by
2,000 tonnes to 30,000, and the
draft grew from 10.5 to 11 metres.
These freighters are in a class by
themselves having the following
outstanding features: high
average container weights, good
reefer container capacity, bow
and stern thrusters, modern
navigational equipment and very
generously a
ppointed passenger
accommodation including a
swimming pool, a sauna bath and
a passenger lift.
GEBE OLDENDORFF, her conversion
completed, re-entered service on
2/3 June 1993 and delivered into a
four to five-year period timecharter
with Neptune Orient Lines Ltd. of
Singapore for its service between
the Far East and the east coast of
North America.
Egon Oldendorff rounded off the deal
by taking over and placing under its
house flag the remaining two ‘Polish
French’ ships of the series early in
1993, the WLADYSLAW SIKORSKI
renamed HUGO OLDENDORFF and
the STEFAN STARZYNSKI, now GERDT
OLDENDORFF. Two each thereof had
been built by Chantiers Nav. de la
Ciotat (GEBE OLDENDORFF and HUGO
OLDENDORFF), and by Chantiers de
l’Atlantique of St.Nazaire.
Including the four newbuildings
on order, at the end of 1992 the
Egon Oldendorff fleet stood at 40
ships aggregating 1.3 million tdw
and 20,000 TEU capacity, including
the four newbuildings contracted.
During the ten-year period 1981/91
the company acquired 36 ships
thereby renewing its entire fleet.
Container vessel fixtures from
1988 for periods until 1997/98 took
advantage of the firm market for
that category of ships. Dry bulk
carrier rate improvements were
yet to make themselves felt. At that
time the EO payroll listed a staff
of 2,000, thereof 1,300 afloat, 600
at FSG shipyard, 60 in the Lübeck
headquarters and 10 in Hong Kong.
In a deal involving two newbuildings
ordered from FSG, Egon Oldendorff
in 1993/94 purchased three
freighters from Compania Chilena
de Navegacion Interoceanica SA of
Valparaiso: in summer 1993 delivery
was taken of Naikai/Japan-built
1,300 TEU multi-purpose freighter
CCNI AUSTRAL, chartered back
until 1998 by the Chileans. One
year later Oldendorff took over
the two 1984/83 Rendsburg-built
sisterships CCNI VALPARAISO and
CCNI MAGALLANES. The former
has meanwhile delivered into a
nine-year bareboat charter with
Mint Holdings, while the latter has
commenced a three-year bareboat
charter to CTE, Spain. The Chilean
company ordered two Ecobox
vessels of the 34,000 tdw/2,000
TEU type from Flensburger
Schiffbau-Gesellschaft for
completion during 1996. However,
meanwhile the ships were placed
in the German ‘KG’ market by
fundraisers MPC Capital, Hamburg,
with a three-year timecharter
attached for account CCNI.
With no apparent potential for
further growth in sight Egon
Oldendorff, from 1993 onwards,
began a steady retreat from the
cellular containership market.
All 14 units were either sold or
chartered out on period contracts.
Large containerships GERDT
OLDENDORFF (2) and HUGO
OLDENDORFF (5) were sold to their
Saudi Arabian timecharterers.
MONTE PASCOAL, with a charterback attached, found interested
buyers in Monto Carlo. CCNI
VALPARAISO and MAGALLANES
delivered into nine-year and
three-year bareboat charters,
respectively. Geneva-based MSC
took BIRTE OLDENDORFF (4) and
TETE OLDENDORFF (3) on five-year
period charters with the intention
to purchase the ships on expiry of
their charters. Hyundai newbuilding GERMAN SENATOR had
been sold at a very early stage,
308
and second-hand vessels T. WENDA
and H. CEGIELSKI may in this context
be termed mayflies. The two CCNI
newbuildings yet to be delivered have
been sold to clients of MPC Capital,
Hamburg, and GEBE OLDENDORFF
(3) and HINRICH OLDENDORFF (3)
have also been chartered out on
long-term contracts.
Egon Oldendorff strengthened its
cooperation with CSL by acquiring
their 62,732 tdw self-unloader
CSL INNOVATOR which currently
trades in the joint pool as the
CHRISTOFFER OLDENDORFF. The
vessel was built in 1982 at Govan in
Scotland and was converted at the
Brazilian Verolme yard in 1988. She
is expected to last another ten to 15
years, not least because of her high
lightweight of 16,000 tonnes.
