Newbuilding demand from Greek shipowners in the tanker market remains high and the majority of orders are for Suezmax tankers.
Polembros Shipping, the Greek owner controlled by Spiros Polemis, has booked a 157,000 dwt Suezmax tanker from New Times Shipbuilding for early delivery in 2025, according to industry sources. The new tanker will be equipped with scrubbers and the value of the order has not been disclosed.
In 2023, Polembros Shipping has ordered two 157,000 dwt Suezmax tankers from New Times Shipbuilding, marking the official opening of the first cooperation between the two parties. The new shipbuildings, to be delivered in April 2025 and May 2025, will be of LNG reserved design with desulphurization towers, with hull numbers No 315879, No 315880.
Polembros Shipping is understood to have placed its first order with a Chinese shipyard in 2017, when it commissioned Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding to build a Suezmax tanker. Previously, this shipowner preferred to order crude oil tankers from Japanese and South Korean shipyards.
Earlier, Dynacom Tankers Management, another tanker shipping company controlled by Greek king George Procopiou, was also disclosed to have returned to New Times Shipbuilding, adding as many as 10 Suezmax tanker newbuildings to its huge order book.
Clarkson data show that the 37 new ships undertaken by New Times Shipbuilding in 2023 are all oil tankers, and its hand-held orders reached 59 ships, ranking first in the global shipyards. As of December 31, 2023, New Times Shipbuilding held 101 ships on hand, a record high for the company’s hand-held orders, with orders scheduled through 2027.In 2024, the company plans to complete and deliver 31 ships for the year.