Signal Maritime, the Athens-based pool operator of Ioannis Martinos’ Signal Group, has won a new client.
United Maritime has entered both its aframaxes into Signal’s pool, the two companies said in a joint statement.
The ships are the 113,500-dwt Bluesea and Parosea (both built 2006). Unisea acquired them earlier this year in its first secondhand acquisition that also marked the company’s entry into tankers.
“Partnering with Signal, a top performing and flexible tanker pool, has given us the confidence for a good start in this business endeavour,” Stelios Psillakis, United Maritime’s chief technical officer, said in the statement.
United Maritime, a spin-off by US-listed capesize bulker owner Seanergy Maritime, announced in July that it entered the tanker business with a $79.5m deal for a quartet acquired from Indonesia’s Buana Lintas.
Its other two tankers, the 108,900-dwt Minoansea (built 2018) and 109,700-dwt Epanastasea (both built 2008), are LR2s. United Maritime, which is itself listed in the US, also owns a capesize inherited from Seanergy.
Panos Dimitracopoulos, chief executive of Signal Maritime, expressed his satisfaction at the pool’s expansion.
“We are excited to partner with United Maritime, a well-respected and established owner, and appreciate the trust shown to our aframax pool,” he said.
The addition of the Bluesea and Parosea brings Signal’s aframax fleet to 18 ships.
This is exceeded by the 20 ships it has assembled in its MR pool, which was set up about a year ago and quickly expanded beyond the original 10 vessels entrusted to it by Shell.
Signal said its MR pool has “a solid pipeline ahead”.
