Arne Fredly-backed Hunter Group has defied the sceptics to clinch the sale of a VLCC resale for a whopping $98m.
The Oslo-listed company said the unnamed Far East buyer will pay a 20% deposit.
The DSME newbuilding will be delivered on 31 October.
It said it was "still in advanced discussions regarding the sale of a second vessel."
TradeWinds reported last week that sale-and-purchase brokers in Norway were voicing doubt over whether the group would be able to conclude a sale of two of its new ships.
The Norwegian owner had said it was close to selling a 2019 and a 2020 delivery.
Sources said Hunter had been in talks to sell the ships to South Korea's SK Shipping, and Hunter had suggested that it was close to achieving a price of $98m per tanker.
The duo was ordered for $82m to $83m each, with scrubbers included.
The $98m price would be the highest for a resale VLCC since early 2015.
SK Shipping paid the all-time high price for a VLCC in February 2008, when it ordered a tanker at HHI for $163m.
The Hunter newbuildings will be under the technical management of Norway's OSM Maritime.
TradeWinds is told that Maersk Tankers will handle commercial management of the fleet.
