Photo credit: European Maritime Finance (EMF)
Leon Patitsas, the shipowner whose name is among the 50 most powerful Greek shipowners in Forbes list 2024, and European Maritime Finance (EMF) have confirmed the sale of two suezmax tanker newbuilding resales to tanker company Okeanis Eco Tankers at a “record-breaking” price of $97m each.
The companies Atlas Maritime Ltd. led by Patitsas and the Danish-headquartered investment management firm EMF named the ships as the North Star and Viking Star, each with a deadweight capacity of 157,000 tons.
The vessels are currently under construction at Daehan Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. in South Korea.
The EMF managed sub-fund Blue Harmony III under EMF AIF-SIKAV structure is the majority owner of the vessels, EMF said, with 90% ownership.
According to EMF, the sub-fund has already taken delivery of two other suezmax tankers that form part of the sub-fund’s asset portfolio, both chartered to a substantial counterparty at “attractive daily rates.”
The acquisition agreements provide for an individual purchase price of $97m per vessel.
The vessels are scheduled for delivery from the shipyard in January 2026 and the sale is expected to be completed in full upon the delivery, subject to the satisfaction of agreed closing conditions.
The vessels are two in a series of eight suezmax vessels in EMF’s managed investment vehicles. All vessels are contracted from Daehan Shipbuilding Co. in South Korea.
