Bahri Orders Three VLCCs at IMI; Transocean Books Tanker Pair in China

· Shipping · Saudi Arabia · China

Saudi shipping giant Bahri has ordered three very large crude carriers at International Maritime Industries, committing SAR1.692bn ($451m) to expand its tanker fleet and support shipbuilding at home. The 320,000 dwt vessels will be built at IMI's Ras Al Khair facility on Saudi Arabia's eastern coast. Separately, Monaco-based Transocean Maritime Agencies has ordered two 50,000 dwt chemical and product tankers at China's Guangzhou Shipyard International, a CSSC-controlled yard, adding another vessel type to its expanding newbuilding programme and marking the yard's first order from a Monaco-based shipowner. The two orders underline how national carriers and independent owners are both locking in new tanker capacity, with Saudi Arabia pushing domestic construction and Chinese yards capturing chemical and product tonnage.

Why it matters：Tanker ordering tied to national industrial policy and to Chinese yards signals where future crude and product capacity will sit, shaping freight rates and shipbuilding market share for years.

Key points

  • Bahri's three 320,000 dwt VLCCs will be built at IMI's Ras Al Khair facility.
  • Transocean's two 50,000 dwt chemical and product tankers go to Guangzhou Shipyard International.
  • The GSI contract is the yard's first order from a Monaco-based shipowner.

Sources (original reporting)

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