G-class

Our own vessel design

In the late 1990’s, Erik Thun Group mainly focused on dry bulk vessels, but Anders Källsson, (presently vice chairman of Erik Thun AB), couldn’t stop thinking about tanker vessels and how they could be built more efficiently. He started to design a vessel made for short crossings, lots of port visits, be efficient to load, unload and maintain. He specifically thought about the short sea shipping in northern Europe for product distribution. He found that the market didn’t have any really good vessels for this purpose and in consultation with with the shipyard Ferus Smit he chose a 6,500 tonner.

It turned out that many of our customers wanted vessels of this type and we quickly ordered eight more, this time each around 7,500 tons dwt. They became known as the G-class, as they all had names beginning with G; Grace, Glory, Globe, Galaxy etc. Since the first delivery of our G-class tanker, crewing, quality and technical management has been handled by our close associated manager MF Shipping Group.

Smooth port turnaround

In this trade, where most time is spent alongside in port, the G-class vessels really make a difference. The pumps and pipes in the cargo tanks are designed to ensure a rapid handling of the cargo and the tanks can be emptied almost completely.
-When we come alongside, we are often able to discharge faster than the receiving end can handle. Then we can quickly drain the tanks with our vacuum system and be ready to reload at the same terminal. We are quite popular in the ports,  says MF Shipping Group master Frank van der Elsen.  He has been the master of several G-vessels since 2000 and calls himself a fan.
-They are quite small and don’t have any fancy extras, but they have proven very reliable. Everything works on them all the time, even in this intense trade.