Aegean Marine Petroleum Network has reportedly sold its second largest tanker after securing a bigger vessel to replace it.
US brokerage sources say the US-based bunker supplier sold the 66,000-dwt product tanker Umnenga (built 1993) for $438 per ldt "as is" in Colombo. The price, which would total $5.64m, factors in dealing with 600 tonnes of slops and sludge.
Aegean purchased the tanker from Greece’s Eletson for about $4m in 2016. It has since been employed off South Africa.
The Hyundai Heavy Industries-built vessel is worth between $5.3m and $5.73m for scrap, according to VesselsValue and Maritime Strategies International.
Market sources said the sale is part of Aegean’s efforts to “renew and optimise” its fleet, after buying a newer and larger vessel.
The ship has been replaced by the 105,000-dwt LR2 tanker Umnenga 1 (built 1999). VesselsValue shows Aegean bought it from Chandris in November as the Althea.
New York-listed Aegean controls a fleet of 32 tankers totalling 335,000 dwt, but most are small bunkering tankers.
