FINNISH shipowner ESL Shipping has ordered a pair of gas-fuelled dry bulk vessels to be built at Sinotrans and CSC Qingshan Shipyard in China at a cost of US$30 million each.

The two 25,600 dwt vessels are the first dry bulk vessels to be ordered with dual-fuel capabilities, according to UK's Lloyd's List. 

ESL Shipping ordered the pair following a long-term agreement with Stockholm-listed Swedish steel company SSAB for the import of 6 million-7million tonnes of raw materials into the North Sea and Baltic Sea annually.

The Baltic and North seas have strict limits on sulphur emissions and liquefied natural gas has virtually no sulphur content.

The vessels, scheduled for delivery in 2018, will be ice-class 1A, dual fuelled and have been designed by Deltamarin, now a Finnish division of Singapore-listed AVIC International Maritime Holdings. Design costs are estimated at GBP2 million (US$2.12 million).

Meanwhile ESL Shipping has won an order to ship the dry bulk biofuel required for a new combined heat and power plant under construction in Stockholm. The long-term contract signed between ESL Shipping and energy company Fortum Varme will commence at the end of the year, ESL said.

ESL Shipping, a subsidiary of Aspo, said it is seeking to expand services to new customer segments given the current difficult trading conditions.

ESL Shipping's current fleet consists of 14 vessels - 13 fully owned and one leased.

The company provides special services such as loading, topping off and lightening of large ocean carriers at sea. Cargo volumes carried for 2014 came to around 12.1 million tonnes.