A modern but laid-up aframax was sold off at auction in Gibraltar after its ownership structure made it subject to US sanctions against Russia.
Court authorities in the British overseas territory confirmed to TradeWinds that the 112,800-dwt Aurviken (built 2019) went under the hammer.
“A successful bidder was selected by the Admiralty Marshal following an auction,” an official told TradeWinds in an email, declining to provide more details before the transaction is completed.
Several brokers report this week that the vessel is changing hands for about $73m.
The price is just shy of the estimated value of the International Maritime Organization’s Tier III-compliant ship, falling within the range of $75.4m to $76.9m as estimated by Signal Ocean and VesselsValue.
The Aurviken originally traded as Aquabliss with Greece’s Unisea Shipping, which ordered the vessel at Samsung Heavy Industries but flipped it shortly after delivery to new owners for about $56m.
TradeWinds identified Norway’s Viken Shipping as the vessel’s buyer at the time.
In an email on Wednesday, Viken chairman Hans Olav Lindal clarified that his company partly owned the ship through a joint venture.
Its partner had JSC State Transport Leasing Co — better known as GTLK — as one of its ultimate shareholders.
The Russian financier’s indirect involvement disrupted the vessel’s trading in August 2022, however, as part of US sanctions against Russia.
GTLK found itself on Western sanctions lists following Moscow’s invasion of neighbouring Ukraine.
“Aurviken has since then been in lay-up in Gibraltar awaiting the necessary permissions from relevant authorities to be sold,” Lindal said.
According to Signal Ocean data, the ship never traded in Russia following the outbreak of the Ukraine war in February 2022.
Clarksons data shows the Aurviken undertaking several voyage charters between July 2020 and November 2021 on account of major charterers, such as Clearlake, Shell and ExxonMobil.
Some brokers believe the winning bid for the Aurviken in the Gibraltar auction came from Greece.
Hellenic owners are known to have developed a taste for modern Viken tonnage recently.
US-listed Tsakos Energy Navigation acquired five such vessels from the Bergen-based company earlier this year, as TradeWinds already reported.
That deal left Viken with a fleet of seven crude and product carriers on the water.
