France’s Socatra has exercised options at Hyunday Mipo Dockyard (HMD) that add to an effort to expand its MR product tanker fleet.
Shipbuilding sources said the shipowner signed the dotted line for two 50,000-dwt product carriers at Hyundai Mipo Dockyard (HMD).
The deal involves options the company held as part of an order earlier this year that saw it book two firm vessels at the Ulsan-based shipyard, as TradeWinds reported in January.
Officials at HMD declined to comment for this story. Socatra did not reply to emails seeking comment.
Socatra is said to have ordered the MR tankers as part of its fleet renewal and expansion programme.
The latest deal brings the company's total spend at HMD to more than $146m.
The French tanker owner is paying $36.6m each for the product carriers, which will be compliant with Tier III emission standards. The company is scheduled to take delivery of the quartet during the first half of next year.
Bordeaux-based Socatra controls a fleet of 12 vessels, made up of six 37,000-dwt product carriers, three 8,000-dwt tankers, two ro-ro barges and the bareboat-chartered, 50,000-dwt MR tanker Kiribora (built 2013).
HMD has been the most active shipyard in the MR tanker space so far this year. It is said to have secured orders for a total of 14 vessels.
Shipping companies that have signed up for product carriers with HMD this year include Greek shipowner Thenamaris and clients of Denmark’s Dee4 Capital Partners.
The shipbuilder has so far achieved around 33% of its annual sales target of $3.5bn. It has an order backlog of close to 120 vessels of which around 70 are MR tankers.
