Major Greek shipowner Thenamaris has been linked to the sale of a 16-year-old tanker, its 13th divestment of an oil carrier since the beginning of last year.
In line with company policy not to discuss commercial transactions, managers at the Athens-based company declined to comment on reports by at least two Greek brokers that the 116,900-dwt Seamagic (built 2007) is being sold for $47m.
As it is a coated LR2 product carrier that has been used in recent journeys to carry crude oil, it is not straightforward to categorise the potential sale of the Seamagic and compare it with those of other tankers.
A price of $47m, however, is likely to set a record, any way one chooses to look at the ship.
“This is a benchmark for vintage LR2s,” said Dimitris Roumeliotis, an analyst with Xclusiv Shipbrokers in Athens.
The reported price was so high that some observers were sceptical about the accuracy of the information, scratching their heads in disbelief. “This is too high, even in today’s crazy market,” one remarked.
A deal, if confirmed, would provide further evidence that the hunt for ice-classed tankers able to carry Russian crude in frozen northern waters goes on unabated — regardless of Western sanctions and oil price caps imposed over the invasion of Ukraine.
This does not automatically mean the buyers of that or any other tanker intend to employ it in this particular way.
The fact remains, however, that soaring price levels are driven by the well-documented buying thirst of newly registered companies in Asian jurisdictions that are unencumbered by the sanctions against Russia.
TradeWinds has already reported about two entities whose clients have been particularly active buyers — Gatik Ship Management and Fractal Shipping or Fractal Marine DMCC.
According to S&P Global, Gatik has assembled a score of crude and product tankers, many of which operate under the flags of St Kitts & Nevis or Gabon.
According to the same data provider, about 20 tankers that changed hands over the course of 2022 have emerged with another pair of entities set up last year — United Arab Emirates-based Fractal Marine DMCC and Switzerland’s Fractal Shipping.
All Fractal vessels range between MR and VLCC in size and are flying the flag of Panama. Four of them, including two VLCCs, are listed under the ownership of UAE-based Teodor Shipping.
Greek companies provided about half the tankers in the Fractal fleet. The seller list, however, is also populated by well-known firms from Norway, Belgium, the US and Japan.
