Hunter Tankers Adds 2nd ECO VLCC Newbuilding

Hunter Tankers, a part of Hunter Group ASA, has taken delivery of the second of seven identical ECO design VLCC newbuildings, the Hunter Saga.

The vessel was handed over from Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) on October 19.

One additional VLCC is scheduled for delivery in 2019, while the remaining four vessels will delivered between March and July 2020. The company said that all seven of its VLCCs “are built to the highest standards and will be fitted with scrubbers.”

With reference to the sale-and-leaseback transaction revealed in early September 2019, Hunter Saga was today, simultaneously with acceptance from DSME, delivered to and immediately bareboat chartered back from Ship Finance International Limited at a rate of USD 11,500 per day for the first 6 months. SFL acquired Hunter Tankers’ three new 300,000 dwt VLCCs at a price of USD 180 million, or USD 60 million per vessel.

Hunter Saga will join the first vessel from the batch, the Hunter Atla, in the Tankers International Scrubber Pool, and will commence trading in the spot market.