ETA Group brings home Star of Emirates

The shipping division of the ETA Ascon Star Group has taken delivery of Star of Emirates, the first of three 83,000-tonne Kamsarmax-type vessels the company has ordered.

The second vessel will join the fleet in October with a third due for delivery in January. The vessels follow the highest international safety standards and have been designed to provide energy efficiency, the company said.

"The shipping division is the flagship of the ETA Ascon Star Group and has always demonstrated its ability to maintain its regional leadership in shipping," said Director Ahmad Abdullah Al Ghurair. "We are keen to expand and upgrade our fleet to meet increasing regional and global demands."

The acquisition of the three Japanese-built vessels will consolidate the group's position as the largest private ship operator in the Middle East market. It controls more than 70 vessels of various sizes in dry and wet sectors.

Ameer Faisal, shipping division's Executive Director, said the group was committed to safe ship operations and the application of international safety standards.

Star of Emirates has received accreditations from the International Maritime Organisation and the American Bureau of Shipping Standards. The ship is on its first sail and is heading from Japan to Australia to collect a load of coal.

Kamsarmax-type vessels are the largest ships that can load at the world's largest bauxite port, Port Kamsar in Equatorial Guinea. A Kamsarmax bulk carrier is basically an 82,000 deadweight tonne Panamax.

The shipping division has offices in London, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. Due to the unprecedented growth of the shipping industry in East Asian, the group is focusing on the emerging economies in the region. Its clients include major players in the cement, construction, power utilities, steel, fertiliser and chemical industry, flour mills in the Middle East, North and South America, Europe, India and Australia.