Danish shipowner Maersk Tankers is continuing to shed older ships despite the difficulties of doing deals during the coronavirus pandemic.
Brokers reported the 35,000-dwt Ribe Maersk (built 2004) offloaded for $8m to Indonesian interests.
Maersk Tankers confirmed to TradeWinds it had reached an agreement to sell the handysize, but added that as a matter of principle, it does not provide further details.
VesselsValue assesses the ship as worth $7.74m.
The Ribe Maersk operates in the Maersk Handy pool.
Two potential candidates as buyers are Indonesia's PT Arcadia Shipping and Waruna Nusa Sentana, which have been busy buying up tonnage in an otherwise deathly quiet Asian sale-and-purchase market this year.
Jakarta-based Arcadia rejuvenated its fleet of large tankers with the purchase of an aframax tanker from Japan’s JX Ocean, TradeWinds reported last month.
Brokers reported it paid $15.5m for the 107,000-dwt Negishi Maru (built 2005).
And compatriot Waruna, one of Indonesia’s largest tanker companies and its most prolific buyer of ships, was also reported to have acquired a tanker to service a long-term charter contract with Pertamina.
Brokers reported that Waruna bought the 37,300-dwt product tanker Baltic Commodore (built 2003) from Germany’s Interorient Marine Services for $8.4m.
String of disposals
Maersk Tankers told TradeWinds in March it had agreed to sell 12 tankers during 2019.
TradeWinds had reported the 105,000-dwt Maersk Jamnagar and Maersk Jeddah (both built 2011) were sold to Greek interests in the summer, while the 37,000-dwt sisterships Maersk Edgar and Maersk Erin (both built 2004) followed them out of the fleet.
Brokers said three other ships — the 35,200-dwt Rita Maersk and 36,900-dwt Maersk Etienne (both built 2004), and 35,200-dwt Roy Maersk (built 2005) — had been circulated for sale last autumn.
The company said three of the 12 sold ships will be handed over this year, but it is not disclosing names.
Maersk tankers told TradeWinds that other vessels confirmed sold and delivered in 2019 and 2020 are the 109,000-dwt LR2 Maersk Prosper (built 2001); 35,000-dwt Maersk Raleigh (built 2005), which went to James Fisher; 35,000-dwt Rita Maersk (built 2004); 109,000-dwt Maersk Producer (built 2006); and 109,000-dwt Maersk Princess (built 2005).
