Greek shipowner Samos Steamship has expanded its orderbook with three newbuildings.
It has ordered two 180,000-dwt bulkers at Nihon Shipyard — a commercial alliance between Imabari Shipbuilding and Japan Marine United (JMU).
It has also returned to Sumitomo Heavy Industries for a 115,000-dwt aframax tanker, delivering in the first quarter of 2026.
The Nihon deal is the first capesize contract that Samos has signed in three years.
Doubling up
The last time it ordered the ship type was in late 2021, when it contracted the same shipyard to build two scrubber-fitted vessels for around $121m in total.
JMU’s Ariake yard constructed the duo and has since delivered them — the 182,600-dwt Proteus (built 2023) and 182,400-dwt Prometheus (built 2024).
Industry sources said Samos’ conventionally fuelled newbuildings will also be built at JMU Ariake.
According to Samos’ website, they are scheduled for delivery in the third quarter of 2026.
Samos has doubled its order of aframax newbuildings at Sumitomo to two with its latest deal.
Its previous tanker was ordered early this year and is set for delivery in the second quarter of 2025.
The price of Samos’ newbuildings have yet to emerge. But shipping sources think the capesizes will cost around $70m.
The shipowner also has one 300,000-dwt VLCC under construction at JMU and one 82,000-dwt bulk carrier each at Sanoyas Shipbuilding and Oshima Shipbuilding.
These ships, ordered early this year, are set for delivery next year.
Samos is also engaged in sale-and-purchase business, having sold two tankers in the first half of this year.
In April, it sold the 111,900-dwt aframax Calypso (built 2021) to Libya’s General National Maritime Transport Co for $79m. The tanker was ordered in October 2019 at Sumitomo for about $48.5m.
TradeWinds reported in March that Samos had sold the Japanese-built 156,000-dwt Karvounis (built 2013) for between $67.5m and $67.8m to unknown buyers.
The suezmax has since emerged as Sigrun in the fleet of Dubai-based VLKR Ship Management.
