Norway's Knutsen Group is selling a third shuttle tanker for demolition this year.
Company director John Einar Dalsvag confirmed the 139,000-dwt Loch Rannoch (built 1998), which has been on charter to BP, has been sold to a Turkish demolition interests.
The tanker is not due for a special survey until 2023. A price has not been disclosed.
Ships sold for European regulatory compliant recycling in Turkey normally receive around half the price paid by scrap yards in the Indian subcontinent.
Earlier this summer, Haugesund-based Knutsen sold the 153,000-dwt tanker Sallie Knutsen and 35,000-dwt shuttle tanker Betty Knutsen (both built 1999) for scrap.
Trygve Seglem-controlled Knutsen is a 50:50 joint venture partner with Japan’s NYK Line in KNOT Offshore Tankers, which is one of the leading bow-loading tanker firms with a fleet of about 30 vessels.
Among other recent deals, Adam Polemis’ New Shipping has reportedly sold the 159,000-dwt tanker Cape Balder (built 2000) for demolition in Pakistan for $610 per ldt.
Brokers say some tanker owners are taking the opportunity to sell ships for scrap since freight rates are low and demolition prices high.
