Tanker pool operator Signal Maritime has won Clearlake Shipping as a new partner in its core aframax pool.
The fleet list on Signal’s website was recently updated to include the 114,500-dwt Victory Venture (built 2017).
Listed under the ownership of Hong Kong’s Wah Kwong Maritime Transport Holdings, the Victory Venture has been trading with Clearlake under a long-term fixture since 2019, available data shows.
“We’re very happy ... to have a big trader as a new pool partner in our aframax pool,” a Signal manager said.
Clearlake Shipping is the chartering arm of commodity trading giant Gunvor. Clearlake's website says it is one of the largest charterers of tankers in the world.
At the same time, Signal saw an older aframax client, Eastern Pacific Shipping, expand its commitment by entrusting an MR with the company.
The 50,000-dwt Pacific Onyx (built 2013) has joined Ioannis Martinos-led Signal to become ship number 17 in its MR pool.
Signal’s MR structure got up and running last year. It soon received a major boost when Shell entrusted it with 10 such vessels in its first-ever cooperation with a pool.
Signal’s other MR clients are Astra Shipmanagement, an outfit owned by members of the wider Martinos family, and Greece’s Niovis Shipping.
Inclusion of the Victory Venture brings Signal’s aframax pool to 22 ships, including Eastern Pacific’s 105,600-dwt Banda Sea (built 2007).
Signal counts on its proprietary Signal Ocean data platform, which blends tech with chartering know-how, to provide real data and analysis.
