Thenamaris is reported to have acquired a suezmax tanker newbuilding resale due for delivery from a South Korean shipyard in November.
The Nikolas Martinos-led company is said to have acquired the vessel from fellow Greek shipowner Unisea Shipping for $76m, according to Clarksons.
“The sale illustrates the lack of liquidity in this segment, especially for modern ships, as it’s the first transaction of note since January 2021, when secondhand prices were lower,” the shipbroker said in its weekly market report.
“However, this price still appears competitive when compared to quotes for newbuilding suezmax units at some Korean yards.”
UK shipbroker Affinity (Shipping) is quoting between $78.5m and $79m for a suezmax newbuilding resale based on a South Korean design.
TradeWinds has previously reported that Unisea had three suezmax newbuildings on order at Samsung Heavy Industries.
The 156,000-dwt ships were said to have been ordered between October and December 2020 at $55m for the first two ships and $60m for the third.
If the sale is confirmed, it means Unisea will have made a profit on the newbuilding of more than $20m based on the price paid for the first two ships.
However, VesselsValue shows that three suezmaxes have been delivered to Unisea from SHI this year, while a fourth is yet to be delivered.
The last two suezmax newbuilding resales are thought to be those acquired by Euronav that were under construction at South Korea’s Daehan Shipyard.
The US-listed Belgian shipowner confirmed in early February that it paid an en-bloc price of $113m for the two vessels, which were delivered at the start of the year.
Unisea, founded in 2005 by Adamantios Lemos, has a fleet of 18 vessels, according to VesselsValue.
In addition to the three or four suezmax newbuildings, its fleet includes eight aframax tankers, three capesize bulkers, one panamax bulker and three supramaxes.
