Rickmers adds 10th ship to eastbound Pearl String

   Rickmers-Linie has added a 10th vessel on its eastbound Round-the-World Pearl String Service by taking delivery of the Rickmers Savannah on long-term charter.
   The 30,000-deadweight-ton Savannah, which was delivered by Jinling Shipyard in November 2010, is identical to the nine vessels of the Rickmers Hamburg class that the carrier already deploys on the service. The ships include four large cranes, the two heaviest of which can be twinned for a lifting capacity of up to 640 tons.
   “The 10th vessel gives us the ability to react to market changes, and at the same time, we are enhancing our schedule integrity,” said Ulrich Ulrichs, Rickmers-Linie’s chief operating officer and managing director, in a statement. “The fact that the vessel is identical to our backbone fleet of nine RTW-vessels means that it fits together perfectly with its fleet mates.”
   The eastbound Round-the-World Pearl String Service was launched 10 years ago, connecting Europe, Asia and North America. The port rotation for this service covers Hamburg, Antwerp, Genoa, Singapore, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City or Haiphong, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Dalian, Xingang, Qingdao, Masan, Kobe or Yokohama or Nagoya, New Orleans, Houston, Savannah, Philadelphia and Hamburg. Further ports en route are added according to demand, the carrier said.
   The addition of the Savannah brings the total number of vessels operated by Rickmers-Linie on regular/long-term basis to 18. Further vessels are spot chartered in case of demand to offer additional sailings within the existing liner services or to cater for special requirements and destinations.
   In March, Rickmers-Linie started its westbound Round-the-World Service, connecting ports in Asia and South America and then on to North America, initially operated with two to three multipurpose heavy-lift vessels. The America-Asia westbound service established in 2006 now forms a part of this new service, the carrier said. – Chris Gillis