The naming of LR1 tanker Yuan Tang Wan marks the continuing expansion of COSCO Shipping Energy Transportation (CSET) and is part of the 2.5% dwt increase of the tanker fleet this year
CSET’s LR1 tanker Yuan Tang Wan was named at a ceremony at Chinese state-owned shipyard CSSC OME. This brings the number of tankers in the CSET fleet to 135 with another 18 on order. These figures include the previous announcement that CSET was wholly absorbing its subsidiary Shanghai Tankers.
From a technical and operational point of view, the most interesting tanker to be delivered in August 2020 was Thun Blyth. This is a Thun Tankers vessel that has been optimised to serve ports in the UK that have a high tidal range. This is a unique design of a Not Always Afloat But Aground tanker (NaabsaMAX). Further details can be found here.
Other tanker newbuildings launched in August 2020 include MR1 tanker Ocean Daisy for Ocean Tankers, now part of the Xihe Group. Ocean Tankers was part of the Hin Leong Trading group, which is currently under investigation in Singapore. Xihe Group has distanced itself from the old group and has appointed a new management team and new technical managers.
A new stainless steel tanked chemical tanker joined the all-stainless steel fleet of Fairfield Chemical Carriers. 26,000-dwt Fairfield Fortitude was delivered by Shin Kurushima Onishi shipyard of Japan in August 2020 and joins a fleet of 42 active stainless steel chemical carriers with an average age of just 3.7 years old.
Maran Orpheus is the second Suezmax tanker to be delivered to the Angelicoussis tanker company Maran Tankers. Like Maran Phoebe, which was delivered earlier in 2020, this is a 157,900-dwt tanker from Daehan in South Korea. Originally, both Suezmax tankers were ordered in September 2018, by Faerder Shipping of Norway for a reported US$60M each before being sold as resales to Maran Tankers for a reported US$61.5M each in November 2018.
Another resale delivered in August 2020 was the pair of 158,100-dwt Suezmax tankers Ayse C and Zeynap, which had been ordered by Ciner Shipmanagement of Turkey for US$63.5M each from Hyundai Heavy Industries in December 2018. It was subsequently reported the vessels had been chartered to Koch Logistics for three years from delivery with a one plus one year charter. The vessels have since been sold with bareboat charters to CSSC Shipping of China.
The tanker fleet has increased by 2.5% (by dwt) so far this year, according to Clarkson Research Services, who also estimate that the tanker fleet grew by 5.5% in 2019.
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