NYK Stolt Tankers Orders Six Chemical Tankers

NYK Stolt Tankers, a joint venture between NYK Line and Stolt Tankers, has placed an order with Nantong Xiangyu Shipyard in China to build six 38,000 deadweight tonne stainless steel chemical tankers for delivery between late 2026 and 2029.

The newbuilds will be sisters to a series of six vessels Stolt Tankers ordered at Wuhu Shipyard in November. The ships feature 30 cargo tanks, offering a range of cargo flexibility and are designed to maximize fuel efficiency using a wide range of energy savings devices and shore power connection, Stolt Tankers said. The vessels can also be retrofitted for battery and methanol propulsion.

"This order reflects our strategy to maintain scale of our core 38,000 deadweight tonne fleet by adding newbuildings not otherwise available in the secondhand market in a capital efficient way through our NST joint venture," said Udo Lange, CEO of Stolt-Nielsen Limited.

"These newbuildings will replace ships retiring from our fleet from 2026, ensuring our customers continue to enjoy the flexibility and service quality Stolt Tankers is known for," Lange said.

Hironobu Watanabe, NYK Line managing executive officer and chief executive of the company’s energy division, said, “By replacing the vessels with ones that are more fuel-efficient, we can provide stable transportation services to our customers while promoting an energy transition.”