A handysize tanker owned by AP Moller Maersk’s US Marine Management subsidiary has just landed itself a lucrative short-term charter contract that pays $132,000 per day.
The 38,174-dwt US flagged tanker Maersk Peary (built 2004) has been fixed to the US military for a 75-day charter worth a fixed price of $9.9m.
The work involves for the transportation of Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) purchased fuel stocks in support of Operation Deep Freeze, the code name for a series of US missions to Antarctica.
“While work under a time charter may be accomplished worldwide and is expected to be performed between the Mediterranean Sea and Antarctica and is expected to be completed by February 2022,” the US military said in a statement.
The contract, which involves no option periods, was awarded by the US Navy’s Military Sealift Command (MSC), which is based in Norfolk, Virginia.
The US military said the contract was "competitively procured" with proposals solicited via the Federal Business Opportunities website that received seven offers.
In July, Maersk Line Ltd was awarded a $176m option period modification to a previously awarded contract for the shipment of both containerised and breakbulk cargo.
The modification brought the total cumulative face value of the contract to $519.2m. The US Transportation Command, directorate of acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, was the contractor.
Separately, American Petroleum Tankers recently saw the fixed-price portion of a previously awarded firm, fixed-price charter contract exercised.
The contract option, involving the 48,635-dwt US flagged Jones Act tanker Empire State (built 2010), is worth just over $27m.
The tanker will provide worldwide support to assist the Department of Defense and DLA in meeting their need for global transportation of petroleum products.
The original contract included a one-year-firm period, three one-year option periods and one 11-month option period, which if exercised would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $136.5m.
Meanwhile, Maryland-based Schuyler Line Navigation has seen the one-year option period for the 49,999-dwt SLNC Goodwill (built 2009) exercised.
The US-flagged vessel will earn $11.4m or about $31,250 per day, according to a US government disclosure.
The tanker will provide transportation of clean petroleum products in support of the Department of Defense Logistics Agency Energy.
This story has been amended to reflect that the Maersk Peary is a US-flag tanker, but not a Jones Act vessel.
