Turkey’s Imza Marine has bought its first VLCC. The low-profile tanker player has tabled some $32.5m in recent months, adding one vintage product tanker after another. The latest ship is a step up in size, with the acquisition of the 16-year-old, 306,000 dwt Gesi for $48m, a ship that has changed names and ownership rapidly lately. Earlier this month it changed name from Jiu Yue to Gesi. In 2022, it was known as Eastern Juniper while the year before that it was named KHK Vision when China’s EGPN Bulk Carrier added it from Hong Kong´s Tai Chong Cheang Steamship who traded the ship for years. Imza Marine was founded in 2020 and is 100% focused on the tanker trades.
It has been a highly active year to date for the VLCC S&P scene with the latest data from Greece’s Xclusiv Shipbrokers suggesting 8% of the active fleet have changed hands in 2023.
