Skippers Bram and Lilian Timmer to become co-owners of the AM Lianova

Amer Shipping, the inland shipping company owned by the Buijks family, has purchased another two CDS Dry Cargo 110 hulls from Concordia Damen. The first vessel, the AM Lianova, will sail for Stream Shipping, the joint venture between Amer Shipping and the German cooperative MSG eG. Stream Shipping is working with skippers Bram and Lilian Timmer, who will become co-owners of the AM Lianova. The second vessel, yet to be named, will join Amer Shipping’s own fleet. Deliveries are scheduled for Q4 of 2027 and Q2 of 2028. 

Six vessels in the series

With this order, the CDS 110 series for Amer Shipping grows to six vessels. The series began in 2024 with the Adriana Maria, now the AM Voyager, followed by the AM Explorer and the Johannes Sr. The fourth vessel, the Arnold Sr, will be named on 16 October. Stream Shipping already operates the AM Voyager and the AM Explorer; the AM Lianova will be the third vessel in that fleet. Stream Shipping also has an option on a fourth vessel. “It’s wonderful to be working on another project for the Amer Shipping fleet,” says Chris Kornet, Managing Director at Concordia Damen. “The fact that we have once again earned the trust of the family – and the Timmer family – makes our entire team proud. We thank them and MSG for this opportunity.”

Skippers as co-owners

Bram and Lilian Timmer (formerly of the inland navigation vessel Simcha) currently sail on the AM Explorer. They will become shareholders in the AM Lianova alongside Amer Shipping and MSG through Stream Shipping. According to Peter Buijks, Managing Director of Amer Shipping, the new order is partly the result of the strong performance of the two existing Stream Shipping vessels. The name Lianova was chosen together with the shareholders. “It combines Lia/Lilian, which is associated with light and growth, with the Latin ‘nova’, meaning ‘new’. Together, the name aptly stands for ‘new light’ or ‘a new beginning’, hence, a new vessel, a new partnership and further growth of the joint fleet.”

Proven design from stock

Both vessels are based on Concordia Damen’s CDS 110 design: 110 by 11.45 metres, with a shallow draught and a low air draught. At a draught of 2.50 metres, the ship can pass under bridges with a clearance of 4.25 metres. “We are choosing Concordia Damen again because it is a forward-looking shipyard that is genuinely working to improve its vessels,” says Peter Buijks. “In practice, this type has proved itself. It is quite an investment, but we literally earn more money with it. At the same draught, it carries up to 200 tonnes more cargo than a comparable 110-metre vessel, and the hull’s low resistance means fuel consumption is considerably lower.”

The hulls come from Concordia Damen’s stock-building programme. As before, outfitting will take place at Ruijtenberg Shipyard, the Buijks family’s shipyard. Both companies are incorporating their experience with earlier vessels in the series into the newbuilds. A notable feature is that the shaft generator charges the battery pack while sailing, so no generator runs during loading and unloading and the vessel operates without emissions or noise.

Buijks: “We offer complete solutions, often to large family businesses. With those companies you don’t sit at the table for the next quarter, but for generations. We have people who have worked here for 25 years, and the next generation is ready to take over. That continuity gives customers confidence. Each vessel in this series is better than the previous one, and that is how we are making inland shipping more efficient, step by step. The Dutch dry cargo fleet is very old; many vessels are eighteen years old or older. We want to rejuvenate the fleet, and we are doing that together with customers and partners. People in the sector are getting older too, so we must, and want, to work with new people. It is wonderful that Bram and Lilian Timmer wanted to join us in this venture. An arrangement like this gives skippers security: a modern vessel, chartering, a technical department and our own shipyard. Again, it provides a demonstrable degree of continuity that gives customers the confidence to work with us. These vessels contribute to that.”