Lundqvist Rederierna has found a trading buyer for a 20-year-old aframax tanker.
The 99,000-dwt Hildegaard (built 1999) has been the oldest tanker in the Finnish owner’s fleet, and the ship has reportedly gone for a higher-than-expected $8.7m.
VesselsValue says a ship of the DSME-built Hildegaard's characteristics is worth $7.5m, while Maritime Strategies International puts the value at $6.7m to $7.8m. This shows that even vintage tankers are benefiting from a stronger market.
This is the only tanker built before 2000 in the Lundqvist fleet, which consists of 12 aframaxes. The Hildegaard has been with the company since it was new and had a price tag of $41m at the time.
The aframax is due for special survey in November and has already been renamed Heidi.
Shipowner Ben Lundqvist confirmed the sale and said the aframax has gone to little-known Dubai-based Marshal Shipping.
This company is listed with three containerships with an average age of 21 years. They range in size from 1,012 teu to 2,672 teu.
The Nordic owner has been renewing its fleet as of late. In February, it took delivery of the 109,000-dwt Alfa Finlandia (built 2019) from Sumitomo Heavy Industries.
It was ordered for $44.5m. This is the third Sumitomo newbuilding to join the company's fleet in the last six months.
Lundqvist's ships primarily trade in north-west Europe but more recently have been active in the Mediterranean and Black Sea
Lundqvist tends to keep its tankers until they are 20 years old. In January last year, the company sold the 99,000-dwt Alfa Brittania (built 1998) for demolition to India, reportedly for around $7m. Three months before that, it sold the sistership Alfa Germania (built 1998) for scrap, reportedly for $6.6m.
