London-based Navig8 Group has continued to add tankers to its suezmax pool in deals with Greek owners.
The company's Suez8 operation now stands at 19 vessels after rapid expansion in the last year.
The latest addition is Transmed Shipping's 152,000-dwt Zeno (built 2003), which the Charalambos Mylonas-led shipowner acquired from Teekay Tankers in 2018.
Navig8 said that Allseas Marine has also signed over its 161,000-dwt RS Tara (built 2016).
AllSeas has one other suezmax among its fleet of bulkers and boxships.
The deals follow a first pools agreement earlier in October with Spanish shipowner Ibaizabal Tankers.
Getxo-based Ibaizabal placed its 150,000-dwt suezmax Monte Toledo (built 2004) with Navig8.
Ibaizabal has six other suezmaxes — one built in 2012 and the others in 2018 and 2019 in Spain and China. There are two smaller bunker tankers in the fleet.
Ibaizabal did not respond to TradeWinds' request for comment on its future fleet plans.
Rapid expansion
The 19 Suez8 ships are built between 2001 and 2020 and all operate in the spot market.
Last month, Nicholas G Moundreas group company NGM Energy added the 157,000-dwt newbuilding suezmax Bella Ciao to the pool.
The ship was delivered this summer from New Times Shipbuilding in China.
NGM was also a new partner for Navig8.
The Suez8 pool has been expanding rapidly over the last year, thanks to deals with US owner Ridgebury Tankers and Swiss trader and owner Trafigura.
In June, Navig8 confirmed it was taking over seven vessels controlled by Trafigura through a combination of pool membership and time charters.
The vessels are a VLCC, three suezmaxes, an aframax and two LR2s.
This deal was Navig8's biggest addition since the capture of eight Ridgebury suezmaxes last year.
