Greek shipowner Ancora Trust has reportedly sold its oldest product tanker, although the company has denied sealing a deal.
European brokers said the 45,000-dwt Faneromeni A (built 2000) has been sold for $6.4m to Middle East buyers.
The Shin Kurushima Dockyard-built MR tanker is due for special survey this year.
The sale price is in line with an estimate by VesselsValue, indicating the tanker is worth $6.27m.
Ancora, however, insisted that no sale has been completed.
The company is a pure MR tanker owner with 11 ships with an average age of 15 years. In recent years, the company has been a fairly active player in the sale and purchase market. But if confirmed, the Faneromeni A sale is the first deal to be concluded in 2020.
Ancora purchased the Faneromeni A as the market peaked in August 2008, when it was the Mikom Brave. Japanese interests sold it for $45m.
Reports that the Greek company has sold it on come after it unloaded similar ships last year.
In the December transaction, it sold the 46,000-dwt sisterships Apostolos A and Angelica An (both built 1999) to Seven Islands of India for some $6.7m to $6.8m each.
That came after a September deal that saw Ancora buy the 40,000-dwt Alexander Spirit (built 2007) from Teekay LNG Partners for $11.5m. It has since been renamed Argolis.
The Greek shipowner exited the suezmax market in 2018, when it sold the 159,000-dwt Mabrouk (built 2003) for $14m and the 166,000-dwt Marika (built 2004) for $15.5m.
