From outer space to the open seas: Meet Bow Pluto

Built at Shin Kurushima Dockyard in Japan, Bow Pluto flies the Norwegian flag and is owned and managed by Odfjell. Since joining the fleet this summer, our new vessel in orbit has headed straight into working life, sailing across Asia and completing her first full voyage with loading and discharge operations at several ports in the region.

For Third Officer Zayber Araya, who was part of the crew taking over the brand-new vessel, seeing Bow Pluto move from shipyard to regular operations has been a special experience.

Tailored for a complex trade

Bow Pluto joins Odfjell's growing fleet of 26,000 dwt chemical tankers – a vessel size and concept that has proven highly successful in our worldwide trading.

23 stainless steel tanks give Bow Pluto the flexibility needed for the complex chemical trades we serve, where multiple different specialty liquids may be transported on the same voyage while remaining safely segregated.

The newbuild also represents another step in Odfjell's ongoing fleet renewal program with Japanese-built chemical tankers. Odfjell has a long history with Shin Kurushima and other Japanese shipyards, whose vessels are among the top performers in our fleet.

Bringing a new vessel into operation takes considerable work from teams both at sea and ashore. For Captain Jose Vicente Jardiniano and his crew, it means getting to know a completely new ship, familiarizing themselves with equipment and systems, establishing routines and teamwork, and turning a newbuilding into an Odfjell vessel in everyday operation – upholding our industry-leading safety, efficiency and sustainability records.

"It is a proud feeling to see a vessel we welcomed from the shipyard already out there doing what she was built to do," Third Officer Araya concludes.