BBC HOUSTON christened in the port of Houston

Leer/Houston 25 September 2024. –  MV BBC HOUSTON, the second newbuilding of a series of fifteen 13,000DWT “LakerMax”-multipurpose triple deckers, has been festively christened in the port of Houston on Monday.

The Champagne bottle broke on the first attempt, after godmother Daniela Pena Kopfensteiner traditionally wished the vessel “fair winds and following seas” in a ceremony held at the Manchester Terminal in the port of Houston in the presence of clients, business partners and colleagues of BBC Chartering. Prior to the naming ceremony, the BBC HOUSTON had concluded her maiden voyage from China to New Orleans, Louisiana, delivering a load of air coolers and accessories. The BBC HOUSTON subsequently called several berths in Houston to pick up cargo before proceeding to the Manchester Terminal for completion cargo and the ceremony. Following the celebrations, the BBC HOUSTON immediately commenced her next voyage, with Kolkata, India being her next destination.

“Naming the BBC HOUSTON in her namesake port after completion of her maiden voyage felt like more than the right thing to do.” said Tim Kopfensteiner, President and CEO of Houston-based BBC Chartering USA LLC. “It was a real pleasure to finally see this ground-breaking vessel for ourselves, and being able to show it to our customer friends and partners made us really proud.”

"It was an honor to be a part of this celebration and I hope she will serve and protect her crew for many years to come.", said Daniela Pena Kopfensteiner, the godmother of the BBC HOUSTON, who works as a chartering broker at BBC Chartering USA.

Like her sister vessels, the BBC HOUSTON is a multipurpose triple-decker with a lifting capacity of up to 500 mtons. Her optimized deck layout and forward location of bridge and accommodation allow for unobstructed 2,830 sqm of space on the weather deck. With 26,000 cbm and 5,500 sqm covered floor space, the BBC HOUSTON is a true space miracle. In addition, her fuel consumption is less than that of vessels of comparable dimensions. This combination reduces GHG emissions per freight to carried by up to 30%.

Photo caption (group photo)
“Second of a series of fifteen DWT 13,000 vessels of the new ‘LakerMax’-type, the MV BBC HOUSTON has been christened in a festive ceremony in Houston on 23 September 2024. Daniela Pena Kopfensteiner, spouse of Tim Kopfensteiner, President and CEO of BBC Chartering USA LLC, acted as the godmother of the vessel.

Photo caption (ship photo)
“The MV BBC HOUSTON captured on the Houston Ship Channel on her way to Manchester Terminal, with the Houston skyline in the background.”

Vessel datasheet
Datasheet (PDF) with technical data of MV BBC HOUSTON and sister vessels.

About BBC Chartering
BBC Chartering, with head office in Leer, Germany, is a global market leader in the ocean transportation of heavy lifts and project cargo, with a fleet of more than 140 multi-purpose heavy-lift vessels ranging from 4,000 to 40,000 DWT and featuring lifting capacities of up to 800 mt. A global network of more than 30 offices is at the service of charterers with the planning and execution of transport orders for tramp or liner services all over the world.

Media contact
BBC Chartering GmbH & Co. KG
Global Head of Marketing & Public Relations
Marko Stampehl
Phone +49 173 6284 741
marko.stampehl@bbc-chartering.com