The 300,000 dwt Alter Ego—a vessel with a storied past—has changed hands for the ninth time in its 19-year lifespan. Greek outfit Cavalli Marine, known for its preference for vintage tonnage, reportedly sold the Chinese-built tanker to Chinese buyers for around $42m, netting an estimated $3m profit, excluding any gains from chartering. The transaction highlights the bullish sentiment currently gripping the VLCC segment, with rates surging due to tight tonnage and geopolitical disruptions. The vessel, originally named Yale and built at Nantong COSCO KHI, was acquired by Cavalli from Turkey’s Varan Maritime in late 2023. At the time, the ship was renamed Alter Ego. Splash understands that NGM Energy, a company with close links to Cavalli Marine, has acted as the commercial operator since April 2025. As it name hints, the Alter Ego has a colourful trading history, having called at both Iran and Venezuela, and once garnered headlines in 2008 when, as a two-year-old ship, it was sold by Nobu Su’s TMT to India’s Mercator for $170m—one of the highest prices ever recorded for a VLCC. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1_95_0_1_2'); });