Ubuntu hulls 1540 and 1541 launched into water, sea trials begin

Our shipping business is the key link between our mines and the customers who buy and value our products. Every year, our chartered fleet moves over 70 million tonnes of metals and minerals, ensuring that the essential resources we produce reach their destination in a safe, efficient and reliable way. As we advance our efforts to achieve carbon neutrality across all our operations by 2040, we are also partnering across the maritime industry to explore ways to make a meaningful contribution to the decarbonisation of shipping.

The construction of our LNG-fuelled chartered fleet, Ubuntu, is a key step in this direction. The first two vessels of the Ubuntu fleet, hulls 1540 and 1541, marked an important milestone with the launch of their hulls into the sea in China’s Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding yard on 31 August 2022. They will now undergo sea trials before their scheduled delivery and formal christening by the end of 2022.

Our investment in a fleet of LNG-fuelled capesize+ vessels was first announced in 2020. This 10-year long charter, first of its kind in the bulk carrier sector is in tandem with both Anglo American and U-Ming’s strong commitment to decarbonisation and sustainability. The fleet’s name, Ubuntu, selected via an internal employee competition, is the Zulu word meaning “humanity to others”. It is often described as reminding us that “I am what I am because of who we all are”. The fleet is poised to be the most fuel-efficient bulk carrier of its type in the water, with the vessels offering significant environmental benefits, including a ~35% cut in CO2 emissions compared to a vessel using standard marine fuel, while also using new technology to eliminate the release of unburnt methane (also known as ‘methane slip’).

The vessels have been designed to be larger than, but remain as flexible as, a conventional capesize vessel. The new builds will optimise cargo transport by increasing load and improving overall cost effectiveness. Taiwan’s U-Ming Marine Transport will own both of the first two vessels, which are built with the concept of energy-saving and sustainability, and both will be flagged in Singapore. The country, a well-established and growing international shipping hub will also serve as prime bunkering port, thereby avoiding deviations from trading routes for refuelling purposes.