Fairfield Chemical Carriers has exercised options for two dual-fuel tankers at Japan’s Fukuoka Shipbuilding.
The newbuildings, which will be able to run on LNG and conventional marine fuels, add to a pair of similar vessels already on order at the shipyard.
VesselsValue’s deals database reported that the Connecticut shipowner owner booked two vessels to be named the 26,300-dwt Fairchem Prestige and Fairfield Pinnacle.
Asked about the report, Fairfield president Todd Clough confirmed to TradeWinds that the company had declared options to order the pair.
The four vessels now on order at Fukuoka are to be delivered between 2023 and 2025, according to the company’s website.
He declined to comment on whether the company will exercise its remaining option for two more vessels at Fukuoka.
Pricing details have not been revealed, but VesselsValue estimates that the stainless steel ships of their type have a newbuilding value of $69m today. The valuation platform also estimates that they have a resale market value of $72.3m to $75.5m.
TradeWinds reported in June 2021 that Fairfield had ordered its first two dual-fuel vessels, with options to bring the count to six.
Fairfield’s website lists the original two newbuildings as the Fairchem Pioneer and the Fairchem Pathfinder.
At the time, Clough said the dual-fuel design is likely to become the core of Fairfield’s fleet in the years ahead.
Based in Connecticut, the company controls a fleet of 40 stainless steel chemical tankers of between 20,000 and 25,000 dwt, in addition to an orderbook that is now made up of five ships, including the quartet of LNG-fuelled vessels.
All were built in Japan, with most constructed at Fukuoka Shipbuilding’s yards in Nagasaki or Fukuoka.
