Bulker owner Laskaridis Maritime is said to have joined the tanker segment with an order for an aframax product carrier newbuilding.
Shipbuilding sources said the Athens-based company has contracted Yangzijiang Shipbuilding to build the 115,000-dwt LR2 product carrier to be delivered during the first half of 2026. It is not known if the contract includes any optional vessels.
Sources said the newbuilding will be powered by conventional marine fuel.
The price of the LR2 tanker was not disclosed, but brokers believe the Greek company is paying slightly more than $60m.
Laskaridis Maritime will be the fourth shipping company to enter into the LR2 segment following Transportation Recovery Fund (TRF), Pantheon Tankers and Eastaway, the shipowning arm of liner owner and operator X-Press Feeders Group.
TRF ordered three newbuildings at Jiangsu New Hantong Ship Heavy Industry, while Pantheon has four vessels booked at Cosco Heavy Industry Yangzhou Shipyard.
Eastaway is building one vessel at Zhoushan Changhong International Shipyard.
The latest newbuildings add to a dash in orders for aframax product carrier newbuildings.
Order glut
Strong demand for LR2 tanker newbuildings is being driven by a dramatic improvement in tanker markets since the onset of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the gradual shift of predominantly ageing tankers from the mainstream fleet to the shadow fleet, to trade almost solely Russian barrels.
Clarksons’ Shipping Intelligence Network shows 52 LR2 tankers were ordered between January and July this year, while only 21 ships were booked in the whole of last year and just 17 in 2021.
Maran Tankers, Zodiac Maritime, Eastern Pacific Shipping, Union Maritime, Tai Chong Cheang Group, Dynacom Tankers Management, Thenamaris and Capital Maritime & Trading are among the companies that have ordered the ship type this year.
Laskaridis Maritime is controlled by Greek shipowner Thanassis Laskaridis, who has been expanding the company’s bulker fleet by acquiring secondhand vessels and ordering newbuildings.
In May, Laskaridis Maritime inked newbuilding contracts with Hengli Heavy Industry for four kamsarmax bulkers. The 82,000-dwt units were reported to cost between $33m and $34m apiece and are scheduled to be delivered in 2025.
Between January and March, the company bought three capesize bulk carriers from GoodBulk.
The trio are the 180,000-dwt Athens (ex-Aquasalwador, built 2012), 179,900-dwt Villars (ex-Aquanavigator, built 2011) and 178,900-dwt Ereikoussa (ex-Aquamarie, built 2012).
Singapore-listed Yangzijiang is China’s largest privately owned shipyard. The company is reputed as a container ship and bulk carrier shipbuilder.
Laskaridis Maritime is the third company to have ordered an LR2 tanker at Yangzijiang. It is constructing two ships each for Zodiac Maritime and Union Maritime.
Officials at Yangzijiang declined to comment on the shipyard’s newbuilding activities, citing contract confidentiality.
TradeWinds was unable to reach Laskaridis Maritime for comment.
