Stolt-Nielsen’s Stolt Tankers acquires two modern tankers for the Inter-Caribbean trade and expands its fleet portfolio.
The Netherlands-based Stolt Tankers of the Oslo-listed Stolt-Nielsen company said two modern 15,000 deadweight stainless steel chemical tankers built in 2018 and 2019 have been added for inter-Caribbean services.
The company which operates a fleet of chemical parcel tankers will name the ships Stolt Condor and Stolt Tucan but did not reveal the purchase price. The company did not disclose further terms of the transaction.
The aim is to improve Stolt Tankers’ service offering and capability for customers in the US Gulf and Caribbean markets. Stolt Tankers expects to take delivery of the vessels in the second quarter of 2023.
The ships will be retrofitted with propellor boss cap fins, variable frequency drives, torque thrust meters and KWh meters to make them even more fuel efficient and lower their carbon footprint, as the company said in its announcement.
Lucas Vos, President, Stolt Tankers, said. “This acquisition is an excellent opportunity for Stolt Tankers to secure attractively priced on-the-water tonnage in a firming chemical tanker market. These are modern, fuel-efficient ships and will further lower the age profile of our fleet. We are delighted to offer our best-in-class platform to more clients in the Inter-Caribbean market and expand the reach of our high-quality service offering.”
It is worth mentioning that Stolt Tankers last year expanded its fleet portfolio with the purchase of three second-hand 33,600 deadweight fully stainless-steel chemical tankers.
The top management also highlighted the fact that the company was able to fully capitalise on the improving market fundamentals, because it expanded its fleet just before the market upturn.
