Hamburg owner and manager MPC Capital has revealed its blueprint for success in the tanker management sector against a background of growing demand and booming rates.

Its newly established unit Ahrenkiel Tankers is now technically managing a fleet of vessels for "selected customers", it said.

Robert Frese, managing director of maritime investments, added in the company's newsletter: "We noticed that there is a window of opportunity in which historically low asset prices can be combined with stable high-yield charter income in the tanker space, be it for spot or longer-term business with reliable and strong counter-parties on the charterers’ side."

He said: "These kind of projects have gathered the interest of various of MPC’s clients, especially due to our capability in sourcing the right assets for the investors’ demands and finding the right employment for the projects."

The company is focusing on product tankers, especially in the segments of handysize, MR, LR1 and LR2.

"We believe that the increased demand, amongst others due to new IMO 2020 regulations, together with the average age of the fleet and the low orderbook will especially benefit these segments," Frese said.

"Interesting returns"

And he added: "In the last 12 months MPC has structured a handful of tankers in for different investment groups which from today’s perspective have already generated interesting returns for the investors.

"Investors show a high interest in the tanker space at the moment. Investors that are interested in asset upside are tempted by the good entry point in the current market.

"Yield-driven investors like the possibility to buy young quality assets with long high-yield cash flows and strong counter parties where the residual value risk is limited at the end of the employment."