We are thrilled to announce that Sofia VG was delivered from Royal Bodewes Shipyard to Meriaura on the eve of 1st May. She is currently on her maiden voyage – loading in Antwerp and continuing to Rauma.
“We are proud to welcome this newbuild into our fleet and grateful for the strong cooperation with Royal Bodewes and all partners involved”, says Meriaura’s Managing Director Beppe Rosin. “Sofia VG is an important milestone for Meriaura and a concrete step forward in offering more efficient and lower-emission sea transport to our customers. With her increased capacity, ice-class 1A, and readiness to operate on biofuels, Sofia VG strengthens our ability to serve our customers’ needs while supporting our long-term sustainability targets”.
“The vessel has met the agreed performance targets during trials, and all critical systems—from propulsion and automation to safety and cargo handling, and biofuel compliant fuel system—have been tested and documented for handover”, says Meriaura’s Technical Manager Jyrki Hentula. “Our close cooperation with the shipyard continues, as Sofia VG’s sister vessel’s construction proceeds”.
Sofia VG is the first of two ordered 105-meter Ecotrader vessels, built to combine higher cargo capacity with significantly lower emissions. Sofia VG is a 1A ice-classed, 6,735 DWT vessel that can be operated with biofuel.
