New self-unloader for Mibau Stema Group

State-of-the-art vessel expected to begin cargo-carrying operations at the end of September

MV Starnes, the first of two CSL-Hartmann joint-venture self-unloading vessels built at Chengxi Shipyard, in China, was delivered to its owners on 10 August 2020.

Mibau Stema Group, one of the leading suppliers of exported aggregates for the heavy construction industry in Northern Europe, have signed a long-term charter for the ship and expect its first loading to take place in Jelsa, Norway, at the end of September.

Equipped with a 90.5m boom, one of the longest and largest ever built for a self-unloader, the 40,000 DWT vessel is able to self-discharge at a rate of 5,500 tonnes/h.

The self-unloading system is capable of handling lump sizes up to 300mm and free-flowing materials with a bulk density in the range of 1.2–3.5 tonnes per cubic metre.  

With a top speed of 14 knots, MV Starnes features energy-saving hub fins, an exhaust scrubber and an IMO- and USCG-compliant ballast water treatment system.