A new generation of short-sea cargo vessels designed for adaptation to the future development of southern Sweden’s Trollhattan Canal is taking shape in the Netherlands. The waterway, accessed from the sea by the Gota Alv in Gothenburg, provides a vital link to the wider European market for various Swedish industries located around Lake Vanern.

The series of 5,100dwt newbuilds ordered by the Erik Thun Group will be constructed to the maximum dimensions for transit through the various locks up to Lake Vanern, but with design preparation to facilitate lengthening after new locks have been opened some eight or nine years hence.