A Shipping Corporation of India vessel has become the first suezmax tanker sold for demolition since April.
The 147,474-dwt Ankleshwar (built 1994) has been acquired ‘as is’ Colombo, Sri Lanka for $368 per ldt, with extra payment for bunkers by the end buyer. With the ship weighing in at just under 22,300 ldt, that equates to about $8.19m.
GMS reports that factoring in repositioning costs, the resale is expected to comfortably surpass $400 per ldt.
The sale is described as having all the hallmarks of a resale to Bangladesh, although one broker spoken to questioned whether this would be the case following the recent death of two workers, and injuries to many more, in an accident at the country’s Ziri Subedar shiprecycling yard.
It is the latest in a sequence of serious accidents at Bangladeshi demolition facilities.
Mumbai-based SCI confirmed last month that it was seeking a buyer for the Ankleshwar which was to be sold via an auction.
The last suezmaxes to be sold for scrapping were the 126,955-dwt Alexita Spirit (built 1998) and 151,294-dwt Nordic Spirit (built 2001) in April.
Those Teekay Offshore Partners’ shuttle tankers, which went for green recycling, fetched a much higher $430 per ldt, evidence of how scrapping prices have fallen sharply in the last few months. Ankleshwar is also only partially gas free.
TradeWinds has requested confirmation from Shipping Corp of India on the Ankleshwar sale.
