Greek shipowner Dynacom Tankers is expanding its vast crude carrier programme with a fresh quartet of VLCC newbuildings at China’s Hengli Heavy Industries, adding to the two it contracted last year.
Shipbuilding sources said the 306,000 dwt vessels are part of a series originally ordered by Hengli Group for its own account and are now being resold to George Procopiou’s tanker company for delivery in 2026 and 2027 at $118m each.
The deal takes the number of Hengli-built VLCCs pencilled in by Dynacom to six and follows the delivery in June of the Aliakmon I, the yard’s first self-developed VLCC.
The Dalian-based yard, which has 13 VLCCs on order for its parent group, has been increasingly active in marketing resales to top-tier owners. Last month, it lined up a separate series of up to four VLCCs tied to John Fredriksen’s interests, at comparable pricing levels.
Hengli’s in-house VLCC design features a 332.8-m hull with a 60-m beam, 30-m depth, a service speed of 14.5 knots and meets the latest efficiency and emissions standards
For Procopiou’s group, the order underscores an already aggressive fleet expansion. According to company data, Dynacom Tankers Management currently controls close to 70 tankers, with more than 50 vessels under construction across Chinese yards, including newbuildings at New Times, Dalian, and Hengli.