London-based Zodiac Maritime is pressing ahead with its crude carrier renewal, adding five more tankers to its newbuilding programme in China and Vietnam. Shipbuilding sources said the Eyal Ofer-controlled owner has contracted four 319,000 dwt VLCCs at Jiangsu New Hantong Ship Heavy Industry at about $120m each. The vessels are slated for delivery in 2029. In parallel, Zodiac has signed for one 157,000 dwt suezmax at Samsung Heavy Industries Vietnam for around $85m, also for 2029 delivery. The latest contracts build on a programme launched in mid-October, when Zodiac signed up for up to eight VLCCs and six 9,000 teu containerships, including options, at Hantong in China. The ships are conventionally fuelled and fitted with the latest energy-saving technologies, with first deliveries scheduled from the second half of 2028. The latest move also comes weeks after Zodiac offloaded three older VLCCs to South Korea’s Sinokor for roughly $223m, freeing up capital as it reshapes its tanker fleet. Hantong has emerged as a serious VLCC player over the past two years. In 2024, the yard secured its first VLCC order from Swiss commodity trader Trafigura, which has since become one of its biggest crude carrier clients. Despite Zodiac’s deal being its first engagement with Hantong, the company is among the yard’s largest customers, with its combined tanker and boxship orders forming a significant slice of Hantong’s 2028–29 delivery skyline. The initial orders also marked Zodiac’s return to supertanker contracting after years of limited activity in the segment and follow a series of last year’s newbuild pushes, including initial suezmaxes at Samsung Heavy Industries’ Vietnam yard and post-panamax boxships at China Merchants Jinling. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1_95_0_1_2'); }); TagsUnited Kingdom