Malaysian energy group ENRA has made its debut in the tanker arena after buying a Maersk Tankers vessel.
The company said it had acquired the 37,000-dwt Maersk Edgar (built 2004) for $9.3m in cash.
The Kuala Lumpur-listed group, which controls an FSO, said: "The provision of cost-effective storage and offloading solutions to oil and gas fields is a core business."
It added the deal was in line with this business and is part of its strategy to expand offshore services and enhance its capabilities in offshore oil and gas operations.
The tanker will position the company to be "more competitive in pursuing new contracts in this core business area," it said.
TradeWinds reported last month that Maersk Tankers had sold Edgar and the 37,000-dwt sistership Maersk Erin for a combined $9.35m to an undisclosed buyer.
Brokers also said that three other Maersk Tankers vessels had been circulated for sale in recent weeks: the 35,200-dwt Rita Maersk and 36,900-dwt Maersk Etienne (both built 2004), and the 35,200-dwt Roy Maersk (built 2005).
At the same time, Maersk Tankers snapped up a fleet of seven handysize product tankers from Malaysian shipowner AET, paying $93.5m in an en-bloc sale.
Both parties confirmed the deal for seven 38,000-dwt product and chemical carriers which were built by South Korean yard STX Offshore & Shipbuilding in 2009 and 2010. The vessels are IMO chemical-handling type 2 and 3 units.
