Atlas Maritime, owned by Greek shipowner Leon Patitsas, revealed on Nov. 24 that it has ordered two additional 158,000 DWT Suezmax tankers from South Korea’s DH Shipbuilding (formerly known as Daehan Shipbuilding). The two new vessels will be named Tromso Star and Arctic Star, while other details of the deal have yet to be disclosed.
According to Trade Winds, the two additional new vessels ordered are identified as sister vessels to Atlas Maritime’s 158,000 DWT Suezmax tanker previously ordered at DH Shipbuilding, which will be equipped with desulphurizers and will be conventionally fueled.
In July this year, Atlas MariTime signed a contract with DH Shipbuilding for the construction of 2+2 158,000 DWT Suezmax tankers, with the cost of a single vessel of about $84 million, and scheduled for delivery in 2025 and 2026.
It is not yet clear whether the two latest Suezmax tankers on order are option ships for a new order signed in July this year, or newly signed shipbuilding contracts.
Atlas Maritime, a long-time customer of DH Shipbuilding, is said to have ordered two new vessels from DH Shipbuilding in 2020 at a price of $45 million per vessel.In 2022, Atlas again placed an order with DH Shipbuilding for the construction of two 115,000 DWT Aframax crude carriers.
DH Shipbuilding is actively pursuing orders for Suezmax tankers. Earlier this year, the shipyard received an order for 1+1 158,000 DWT Suezmax tankers from Golden Energy Management, a Greek shipowner under the Victor Restis family, at a cost of about $77 million per vessel, with delivery scheduled for the end of 2024 or the beginning of 2025.