Shortsea shipping specialist Wilson has acquired two vessels from Arklow Shipping to further expand its fleet. The purchase follows hot on the heels of an agreement with Carisbrooke from which the Norwegian shipping company also bought two vessels. 

All four general cargo vessels have a cargo capacity of 5,000 deadweight tonnes. The Arklow Rover and Arklow Resolve have both been built in 2004, while the vessels from Carisbrooke, the Nicole C and Lauren C, were originally delivered in 2008.

All ships are expected to join the fleet in the first quarter of 2020 and will be given Wilson-names upon arrival. The ships are financed through a combination of equity and bank loans.

The vessels are the first four vessels for Wilson in the 5,000 dwt range. Wilson’s current general cargo fleet comprises of 28 vessels in the 1,500 to 3,000-tonne range, 60 vessels in the 3,000 to 4,500-tonne range and 19 vessels in the 6,000 to 8,500-tonne range, according to the company’s website.

Wilson is also shedding some older tonnage, like the 1975-built 6.258 dwt Wilson Reef which was sold to an undisclosed buyer.

After a slightly slower start, Wilson has been recording growth in the second and third quarter of 2019. In the third quarter, the company recorded sales EUR 68.2 million compared to EUR 67.1 million in the same period last year. The operating result (ebitda) increased by more than 20% to EUR 12.1 million.