Asyad advances fleet renewal plans with three tanker sales

Asyad’s fleet reset moves from LNG into oil tankers: Oman's Asyad Shipping is selling two VLCCs, Seeb and Samail, for USD 160.2 mn, according to a disclosure (pdf), alongside the USD 17.5 mn sale of its 18-year-old MR product tanker Al Amerat, according to a separate disclosure (pdf).

The two 2011-built VLCCs aren't leaving the fleet yet. Asyad will keep operating them — one through October or November, the other through mid-January 2027 — letting the company keep earning from the strong freight market before handover, while Al Amerat is expected to leave the fleet by end-September. The VLCC sales are expected to generate a USD 75.2 mn positive income impact; Al Amerat adds another USD 1.3 mn.

This is the same fleet reset we’ve been watching: The company spent the first half of the year shedding older gas tonnage, including four partially owned LNG carriers and the 2001-built Sohar. The latest disposals come as four newbuild VLCCs are due to join the fleet by year-end, while the products side is also being refreshed — with six new 50k-dwt MR tankers ordered from Hyundai Heavy Industries in July for delivery from 2029, on top of two product tankers already on order.