Cooperation agreement between Eimskip and Royal Arctic line approved by the Icelandic Competition Authority
The Icelandic Competition Authority has approved exemption for the cooperation between Eimskip and Royal Arctic Line A/S, the national carrier of Greenland. The cooperation is subject to certain conditions made by the Icelandic Competition Authority, the company said in its release.
As part of the cooperation, three 2,150 TEU container vessels are being built in China with expected delivery late 2019. Two vessel are being built for Eimskip and one for Royal Arctic Line. The vessels will be used in weekly services between Greenland, Iceland, Faroe Island and Scandinavia. The cooperation is built on a well known practice in the shipping industry, VSA (Vessel Sharing Agreement), where capacity is shared between carriers.
The vessels will be the largest containers vessels that Eimskips has had in its service and are designed and built for the conditions in the North Atlantic, in accordance with the Polar Code. With the cooperation and larger vessels, economy of scale and increased fuel efficiency is reached with more environmental friendly vessel. Subsequently delivery of new vessels Eimskip foresees a sale of Goðafoss and Laxfoss.
In relation to the cooperation Royal Arctic Line will be able to offer transportation services to the Icelandic market. With the cooperation Greenland will be connected to Eimskip‘s international sailing system with its weekly services that creates opportunities for direct connections for Greenland to international markets.