Belgian tanker operator Euronav has announced on 3rd February 2021 that the company has reached to an agreement for acquiring two eco-Suezmax, which they are currently under construction at the Daehan Shipyard in South Korea for a price of $113 million. They are due for delivery in January 2022.
According to Euronav, these vessels are the latest generation of Suezmax Eco-type tankers. They will be fitted with exhaust gas scrubber technology and ballast water treatment systems. They have the structural notation to be LNG Ready. Euronav is currently working closely with the shipyard to have the structural notation to be Ammonia Ready as well, so that it can provides the option to switch to other fuels at a later stage.
Hugo De Stoop, Euronav’s CEO said:
“The current disruptions to the freight market have provided this opportunity and our strong balance sheet allowed us to act quickly on it. This is in line with our strategy of acquiring good assets at attractive points in the cycle.”
Euronav stated that as the new vessels are resales, they are not adding to projected vessel supply as they were already under construction. The company intends to use existing liquidity and will raise appropriate financing before the delivery of new vessels.
Credit: Euronav
