In the secondhand wet market, recent fixtures indicate firmer sentiment for modern tanker tonnage, but the outlook appears a bit different for older units.
A 15-year-old VLCC registered in Hong Kong, the Oceanic Fortune, is widely reported to have been sold. Numerous broking sources suggest the vessel is changing hands for around $57m, roughly $1mbelow VesselsValue’s latest valuation. The tanker has had a long and highly publicised career. Originally built as part of a series of very large ore oilers (VLOOs) for Nobu Su’s TMT, it has undergone several renamings—A Whale when it hit the slipway, Madison Orca (2020), and Cosmo Ace (2022)—before becoming Oceanic Fortune under Xiang An Shipping.
The vessel gained global headlines in 2010 when Su attempted to convert it into the world’s largest oil-spill skimmer in response to the Deepwater Horizon disaster.
VesselsValue notes that the ship was converted to a VLCC in February 2015, while it was originally booked as a geared ore/oil carrier, which could also be used for skimming and decanting oil slicks. It was designed with deck cranes and pumping gear so it could load and unload without needing a terminal.
