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Crude oil tankers construction steams ahead

The construction of crude oil tankers is on an upward trend this year, with Greek shipowners leading the deals.

According to a report by the Braemar shipping services company, orders for 49 crude tankers were placed in the first seventh months, of which 13 are supertankers of the VLCC type (with a capacity of approximately 300,000 dwt) and 36 medium-sized suezmaxes (with a capacity of approximately 158,000 dwt).

Behind most of the deals are large Greek companies. In particular, the Greeks have placed orders for 24 crude tankers this year, a number that corresponds to 48.98% of shipbuilding. Of these, six are VLCCs and 18 Suezmaxes.

As for the shipyards that the Greeks prefer, China and South Korea rank first. Orders for a total of 14 ships have been placed in Chinese yards, eight in South Korean ones, while there is also an agreement for two ships in Japan.