Tankers News

Union Maritime has taken delivery of what it said is the world’s first long-range 2 (LR2) tanker powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) and wind-assisted propulsion.The vessel, MT SPA, was delivered on January 6 in Jingjiang, China, and was built by Yangzijiang Shipbuilding. It is a high-specification LNG dual-fuel LR2 tanker fitted with WindWings technology, combining alternative fuel capability with wind-assisted propulsion.Union Maritime said the vessel was designed to reduce emissions while maintaining operational efficiency and commercial performance.

Danish shipping company NORDEN has sold one MR tanker and one Capesize dry bulk vessel from its owned fleet, capitalizing on strong asset prices across the dry cargo and tanker markets.The company also said it had entered into two new multi-purpose (MPP) newbuilding lease agreements with purchase options, as part of its strategy to expand in the project cargo market. The vessels are scheduled for delivery in 2028.NORDEN said the MPP segment benefits from a favorable supply outlook…

DHT Holdings, Inc. has taken delivery of a VLCC newbuilding from Hanwha Ocean Co., Ltd. The vessel is named DHT Antelope and is entering the spot market. It is the first of a series of four VLCC newbuildings to be delivered to the company during the first half of 2026. The newbuildings are fully funded and will increase the Company’s customer offerings and earnings power. The next newbuilding is scheduled to deliver early March 2026.

According to Veson Nautical’s 2025 End-of-Year Market Report, a report which breaks down prevailing trends in all major oceangoing shipping sectors globally, these are the prevailing trends shipowners should watch in 2026.1. Routing Normalization vs. Geopolitical RealityMuch of 2025’s earnings strength—especially in containers, crude tankers and dry bulk—was driven by longer voyages around the Cape of Good Hope. Any sustained return to Suez transits in 2026 would compress ton-mile demand quickly. Owners should plan for volatility rather than assume a clean reversion to pre-Red Sea norms.2.

After several years of volatility, 2025 became the year the global shipping markets began to reset. Not collapse—but recalibrate.According to Veson Nautical’s 2025 End-of-Year Market Report, the past year was defined by persistent geopolitical disruption, tightening environmental regulation and growing uncertainty over future fuel pathways. Red Sea instability continued to distort global trade flows, FuelEU Maritime and EU ETS added cost and complexity, and owners across nearly every sector adopted a more cautious stance toward fleet expansion.As the industry enters 2026…

Performance Shipping reported its third-quarter financial results for 2025, highlighting solid fleet performance amidst softer market conditions.For the three months ending September 30, 2025, the company posted net income of $3.9 million, a decrease from $12.4 million in the same period in 2024. This drop was primarily driven by reduced time-charter equivalent (TCE) rates and a decrease in available fleet days due to the scheduled drydocking of its Aframax tanker, M/T P. Aliki.

“Due to low contracting volumes in 2022, the crude tanker order book/fleet ratio bottomed out at 2.8% in March 2023. It has climbed steadily since and has now hit a nine-year high of 14.1%. The order book may kickstart the renewal of a fleet that has grown older on average since 2018,” says Niels Rasmussen, Chief Shipping Analyst at BIMCO.Since 2023, 325 crude tankers with a deadweight capacity of 68.7m tonnes have been contracted and the order book now contains 309 ships totalling 65.8m deadweight tonnes (DWT).The three largest shipbuilding nations in the world…

Newbuilds expand AET’s dual-fuel fleet to all of its sectors: Aframaxes, Shuttle Tankers, Suezmaxes and Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs)AET signed shipbuilding agreements with Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) for the construction of two LNG dual-fuel Suezmax tankers.The vessels will further expand  AET’s growing dual-fuel fleet operating worldwide. With these orders, AET will have dual-fuel capability in all the tanker sectors it operates in – Aframaxes, Shuttle Tankers, Suezmaxes…

Armed assailants attacked a commercial tanker off the coast of Mogadishu on Monday, firing at the vessel after attempting to board the ship in the first suspected Somali piracy incident of its kind since 2024, maritime sources said.If confirmed, this would be the first Somali piracy attack against a merchant ship since May 2024, raising risks for critical energy and goods transported through the region, maritime sources said.The vessel was sailing some 332 nautical miles (615 km) off the Somali coast when four armed attackers approached in a skiff from the starboard side and opened fire…

MISC Berhad (MISC) and Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) have received the Approval in Principle (AiP) from Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore (BV) for the design of the world’s first ammonia-fueled LR2 tanker powered by Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) technology.The AiP from BV confirms the technical feasibility of the concept as well as initial conformity to the applicable rules, industry codes, and standards.The AiP was awarded as part of a strategic joint development project involving MISC…

Belgian shipowner Exmar has placed an order for four newbuild Suezmax tankers to a shipyard in South Korea.The order has an option for four additional vessels. The tankers will be built by Daehan Shipbuilding, at their Mokpo shipyard, in South Korea.The vessels will have a deadweight of 157,200 ton, capable of transporting about 1 million of barrels of oil and fitted with a scrubber.The order is placed in view of the strong prospects for the Suezmax market, the company said.The first vessel is set to be delivered in the third quarter of 2027.

Union Maritime’s new wind-assist tanker Brands Hatch has completed its maiden voyage, achieving more than a third of its propulsion power from wind when conditions were favorable.The vessel is the first newbuild tanker installed with BAR Technologies’ WindWings®.Brands Hatch achieved significant fuel savings while maintaining strong sailing speeds in challenging weather.Union Maritime also employed sail-aware weather routing from Ascenz Marorka on the voyage. Whilst on global routes each WindWing can save an average of 1.5 tonnes of fuel per wing per day.

Russia will deliver oil to Brunei via the Northern Sea Route for the first time this September, expanding its export reach through the strategic Arctic passage, two sources familiar with the shipping data told Reuters.Until now, NSR shipments have been limited to China due to its proximity to Russia’s Far East. Moscow has been actively promoting the route, which is shorter and less costly than moving crude through the Suez Canal, to other partners including India and the U.S.The…

Fairfield-Maxwell Ltd. (FML) is returning to the shipping industry in Japan and opening a new office in Tokyo aimed at participating in ship construction, ownership, investment and leasing.The new company will focus on being the tonnage provider of choice and offering a diverse range of vessel types, including chemical tankers, medium range (MR) tankers, gas carriers and newbuilds.The new company – to be named Fairfield Maritime Japan Ltd. – will be a part of a newly formed Fairfield Maritime Group.

Singapore-registered tanker Marine Dynamo and a Malta-registered bulk carrier Flag Gangos have collided south of Tanah Merah in Malaysia.Both vessels are stable, following the incident that occurred in the early hours of September 1, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) informed.Light oil sheens have been sighted in the vicinity of Marine Dynamo. The Master of Marine Dynamo reported that Marine Gas Oil (MGO) used for vessel’s propulsion stored in the service tank above the waterline…

“We forecast a balanced development in the crude tanker market in 2025 and 2026 while we expect the product tanker market to remain weaker than in 2024. The product tanker suffers under the weight of increasing supply growth and weaker demand growth due to shorter sailing distances,” says Niels Rasmussen, Chief Shipping Analyst at BIMCO.Due to OPEC+’s recent decision to reverse oil production cuts, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has increased its crude oil supply forecast significantly.

CMB.TECH has successfully completed the stock-for-stock merger between Golden Ocean Group Limited and CMB.TECH Bermuda, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CMB.TECH, with CMB.TECH Bermuda Ltd. as the surviving company, and with CMB.TECH as the issuer of the merger consideration shares. CMB.TECH has issued 95,952,934 new ordinary shares by means of a capital increase by contribution in kind. These shares will be delivered to former holders of Golden Ocean shares as merger consideration at the exchange ratio of 0.95 ordinary shares of CMB.TECH for each common share of Golden Ocean.

“During the first seven months of 2025, Nigeria’s seaborne imports of clean petroleum products (CPP) declined by 39% compared to the same period in 2024, reaching 230 thousand barrels per day (kbpd). The decrease follows a 19% reduction during 2024,” says Niels Rasmussen, Chief Shipping Analyst at BIMCO.The reduction in imports is due to the start of operations at the 650 kbpd capacity Dangote refinery early last year. By June 2025, the refinery’s output had reached 550 kbpd, as reported by company officials.“Imports from Northern Europe have reduced the most.

Iraq’s state oil marketer SOMO has identified several tankers suspected of loading petroleum products illegally from the ports of Umm Qasr and Khor al-Zubair, according to an official letter dated Sunday and seen by Reuters.The tankers allegedly used advanced techniques such as Automatic Identification System spoofing to conceal their locations or alter their routes. SOMO said the vessels were not listed in its official loading schedules, raising concerns about unauthorized shipments.“These…

BAR Technologies confirmed an order for its WindWings propulsion system to be installed on a pair of new LR2 dual-fuel tankers, marking one of the first confirmed large-scale wind propulsion deployments on this vessel class, building on the integration of WindWings aboard the UML-operated Brands Hatch.The new 250-m-long tankers, Suzuka and Long Beach, will each be equipped with two 37.5m WindWings. The ships are being designed by SDARI and constructed by Xiamen Shipbuilding Industry (XSI)…

Britain on Monday imposed new sanctions on Russia's so-called "shadow fleet", targeting 135 oil tankers along with two Russian firms, shipping company Intershipping Services LLC and oil trader Litasco Middle East DMCC.The oil tankers are critical to Russia's energy and oil sectors, with the British government saying they form part of the fleet responsible for carrying $24 billion worth of cargo since the start of 2024. Foreign minister David Lammy said the new sanctions would…

Current global economic and geopolitical landscapes are shaped by several key uncertainties. Tensions between Israel and Iran, particularly regarding the Strait of Hormuz, pose risks to regional stability and energy supply routes. Similarly, Houthi activity in the Red Sea threatens shipping through the Suez Canal. Oil sanctions continue to disrupt global energy markets, while evolving U.S. import tariffs add further complexity to international trade dynamics. Additionally, uncertainties…

The first Russian-built ice-class tanker for liquefied natural gas is expected to go into operation in the second half of this year at the Arctic LNG 2 plant, Interfax news agency quoted tanker group Sovcomflot as saying on Wednesday.International sanctions over Ukraine have led to a shortage of tankers in Russia that can cut through thick ice, preventing Arctic LNG 2 from exporting cargo since the first stage of the plant started operation at the end of 2023.The tanker, named Alexey Kosygin after a Soviet statesman…