BBC Chartering has taken delivery of the MV BBC St. Petersburg, the first of six new F500 multipurpose vessels to join the company’s fleet. The vessel set sail on May 1st and is currently on its way to South America.

The new F500 vessels have a cargo capacity of 12,400 tonnes and are equipped with two cranes with a combined lift capacity of 500 tonnes. Following its departure from the yard, the BBC St. Petersburg has loaded its first cargo in the Far East and is now on its way South America.

With a total deadweight of over 1.9 million tonnes, BBC Chartering is the largest multipurpose shipping company in the world. The company operates a fleet of more than 150 vessels with an average deadweight of 12,900 tonnes, according to Dynamar’s latest breakbulk shipping report released in 2019.

Runner-up Cosco Shipping Specialized Carriers comes close in terms of total deadweight but operates a different fleet with larger vessels. The Chinese shipping company has a fleet of 64 vessels with an average deadweight of 27,800 tonnes, Dynamar’s figures show.