Topic
VLCC
Every Vessel Hunter story on VLCC: 47 stories, from 1 July 2026 to 14 October 2026. Newest: "IRGC says ships running dark in Hormuz will be treated as hostile after Al Maqam strike". Each story links to the ships and ports it names, so a name in the text opens the record behind it.
IRGC says ships running dark in Hormuz will be treated as hostile after Al Maqam strike
Iran's IRGC Navy says ships crossing Hormuz with navigation systems off will be treated as hostile, after footage showed the VLCC Al Maqam on fire.
Two seafarers missing after drone hits Petro Dolphin off Sohar as IRGC widens threat
Two Indian seafarers are missing after a drone hit the tanker Petro Dolphin at Sohar anchorage on 11 October, two days after the IRGC extended its threat beyond Hormuz.
Lila Global sells 20-year-old VLCC Vadin for $117m, nearly double its price
Lila Global has sold the 2006-built VLCC Vadin, ex-Kasagisan, for $117m, months after buying her from Mitsui OSK Lines for $60.5m.
Kazimah III hit in Hormuz as tanker strikes reach six in a week and Yanbu is targeted
The Kuwaiti VLCC Kazimah III was struck in the Strait of Hormuz on 1 October, the sixth ship hit in a week, while a projectile briefly stopped tanker loading at Saudi Arabia's Yanbu.
Al Funtas and three more tankers hit in Hormuz as Gulf crude exports recover
Kuwait's VLCC Al Funtas and at least three other tankers were struck around the Strait of Hormuz in the last days of September, even as Gulf oil exports climbed back to near prewar volumes.
Three VLCCs stopped under the Iran blockade head across the Atlantic towards the US
Three VLCCs stopped by US forces under the Iran blockade, Tifani, Majestic X and Lenore, are sailing towards the United States with about six million barrels of Iranian crude.
This Week in Maritime: freight takes a quarter of the barrel
The week freight reached a quarter of the price of a barrel, a 15-year-old VLCC sold above newbuild, a seafarer was killed in Hormuz, an MSC feeder was left adrift and China took 82% of new orders.
Maritime Briefing of 26 September 2026
A seafarer killed on the Cape Dao in Hormuz, salvage begins on the Caroline Bezengi, Onex's five VLCCs, Navios at HJ Shipbuilding, and Ima gas for Nigeria LNG.
Onex DMCC linked to five VLCC purchases as supertanker values climb
Dubai trading house Onex DMCC is now linked to at least five VLCC purchases, from the record $200m Pinios to the 26-year-old Dennie, as the benchmark Gulf-China rate passed $1m a day.
Maritime Briefing of 22 September 2026
Tanker freight is now large enough to reroute trade, the crew of an LNG carrier report attackers reaching cargo safety systems, and MSC opens talks on Germany's stake in Meyer Werft.
Pantheon Sells 2011-Built VLCC Sea Leopard for $135m, Above Newbuild Price
Brokers report Pantheon Tankers has sold the 2011-built, 314,000 dwt Sea Leopard for $135m, more than the headline cost of ordering a new VLCC for delivery several years out.
Trafigura Carves Out 14-Ship VLCC Arm With $500m Placement and Oslo Listing
Trafigura is opening its VLCC fleet to outside investors through Volare Shipping, a Singapore-incorporated company raising about $500m ahead of a planned Euronext Growth Oslo listing on or about 5 October.
VLCC Freight Adds $26 a Barrel and Starts to Shrink US Gulf-Asia Crude
The Middle East Gulf-China VLCC benchmark reached $1.2125m a day on 17 September, ten times its pre-conflict level, and freight now adds roughly $26 to every barrel moved from the US Gulf to Asia.
This Week in Maritime: the strait gets a price list, the Dali gets a record
The week a VLCC fixed a Gulf voyage above $1m a day, Washington sanctioned the crypto rail behind Iran's transit fees, Asian port congestion passed its pandemic peak and the Dali became the largest single loss the P&I market has carried.
Coast Guard and FBI Boarded a VLCC Off Texas Over a Cyberattack
A Coast Guard cyber team and the FBI boarded the 319,547 dwt VL Prosperity off Texas after indications that her networks had been compromised, in an investigation covering at least two US-bound tankers.
Yanbu Loadings Paused as East-West Pipeline Damage Halts Flow
Loading has been suspended at Yanbu after attacks on the East-West Pipeline, removing a terminal that had been lifting around four million barrels a day, roughly four percent of global supply.
Benchmark VLCC Rate Passes $1m a Day and Ten-Year-Old Ships Outprice Newbuildings
The Baltic Exchange TD3C benchmark has pushed through the equivalent of $1m a day for the first time, and a ten-year-old VLCC is now worth more than a newbuilding.
Dynacom Returns to Hengli With Eight More Ships Worth Close to $1bn
George Procopiou's Dynacom has ordered eight more vessels at Hengli Heavy Industries in a package worth close to $1bn, taking its VLCC count at the yard to twenty.
Gulf Crude Exports Pass 10m Barrels a Day on Facilitated Hormuz Transits
Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is running at about 20% of its pre-conflict norm, yet Gulf crude exports have passed 10m barrels a day and VLCC rates have reached a record.
Prompt VLCC Tonnage Now Outprices the Newbuilding Market
Frontline has paid out a special dividend on the sale of two VLCCs at $135m each, while the sale-and-purchase market discusses $200m for a ship available immediately.
Two Filipino Seafarers Die Aboard the VLCC Sidr as the Hormuz Toll Reaches 18
Bahri's 300,759 dwt Sidr was hit by projectiles while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, killing two of the 16 Filipino crew and lifting the confirmed seafarer death toll to at least 18.
Panama Pays $191.7m for Full Ownership of Its Cross-Country Oil Corridor
Panama has bought the remaining 41% of Petroterminal de Panama, taking full state ownership of a pipeline and terminal system that works as a second canal for hydrocarbons.
Two VLCCs Struck Minutes Apart in Hormuz as Washington Hits Iranian Tankers
The Sinokor-controlled Senegal Prosperity was hit by three projectiles minutes after the Bahri-managed Sidr was attacked, and US forces have begun striking Iranian state tankers in reply.
Urals Crude Returns to VLCCs for Asia as Freight Costs Climb
Reduced Hormuz traffic and eased Venezuela measures have freed up part of the shadow VLCC fleet, opening the trade again.
Sinokor Buys 73 VLCCs for $6bn and Becomes the Largest Tanker Operator
The South Korean owner has spent as much on secondhand crude carriers in 2026 as the next eight largest tanker buyers combined.
VLCC Caroline Bezengi Still Leaking Crude off Oman After Ten Weeks
The sanctioned VLCC has been aground on the Hallaniyat Islands since late June, and the oil plume from her is still spreading to the north-east.
K Line Orders Three Malaccamax VLCCs at Japan's Nihon Shipyard
Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha has returned to the VLCC newbuilding market with three 311,000 dwt malaccamax tankers ordered at Nihon Shipyard for delivery from 2029.
CMB.TECH Posts $364m Second-Quarter Profit as Tanker Markets Run Hot
CMB.TECH reported a second-quarter profit of $364.4m and EBITDA of $552.8m, with a $3.26bn contract backlog and gains of $127.4m booked on vessel sales in the period.
Tanker Hit and Disabled on Omani Side of the Strait of Hormuz
A projectile struck an oil tanker off Musandam overnight, damaging the engine room and disabling the ship on the Omani coastal route through the strait.
Houthi Missile Strike Hits Bahri VLCC Amzan in the Red Sea
The Saudi-flagged VLCC Amzan was struck 63 nautical miles west of Yanbu, extending the Houthi campaign to the kingdom's main alternative crude export route.
ADNOC L&S Pays Record $115 Million for 15-Year-Old VLCC
ADNOC L&S has bought the 15-year-old VLCC Olympic Leopard for $115 million and renamed her Al Yahr, a record price as European brokers value similar tankers at up to $100 million.
A 23-Year-Old VLCC Changes Hands at $57m as Vintage Tanker Values Surge
The 2003-built, 300,000 dwt VLCC Hellstugutinden has been sold for a reported $57m, an unusual valuation for a tanker entering its twenty-fourth year.
Korean Builder Takes Delivery Of Its First Owned Crude Carrier
A Korean shipbuilder's shipping subsidiary has taken delivery of a 320,000 deadweight tonne very large crude carrier, the first vessel it has owned outright since the unit was established.
Chinese Lessor Orders Four Very Large Crude Carriers
A Chinese financial leasing company has ordered four very large crude carriers at a domestic yard in a deal worth around five hundred million dollars, with each vessel of about 319,000 deadweight tonnes priced near 125 million dollars.
ADNOC Shipping Arm Buys Eleven Tankers And Gas Carriers For 1.3 Billion Dollars
ADNOC's shipping arm has agreed to buy six VLCCs and five very large gas carriers for about 1.3 billion dollars, alongside a new LNG carrier order.
Troubled shadow VLCC closes in on endgame
The 2002-built VLCC Era — formerly Marinera and Bella 1 — has reappeared under the Comoros flag with a demolition-linked manager, suggesting the much-renamed shadow-fleet tanker may be nearing its final voyage.
Frontline Sells VLCC Pair For 270 Million Dollars
Frontline has agreed to sell two 2017-built very large crude carriers for 270 million dollars, and will return all net proceeds to shareholders through a one-off dividend.
Dynacom's VLCC Order Book At Hengli Reaches Twenty Ships
George Procopiou's Dynacom Tankers has ordered four more very large crude carriers at Hengli Heavy Industry, taking the Greek owner's programme at the Chinese yard to twenty vessels.
Shipbuilding Veteran Named As Scorpio Tankers' VLCC Partner
Scorpio Tankers is understood to be partnering with Chinese shipbuilding veteran Ren Yuanlin on eight scrubber-fitted VLCCs under construction in China, taking a minority stake of less than 15 percent.
Stealth Maritime Lifts Korean Newbuilding Programme To Around 1.3 Billion Dollars
Greek owner Stealth Maritime, part of the Harry Vafias group, has returned to South Korea with a fresh order that takes its total investment in newbuilding projects to approximately 1.3 billion dollars.
COSCO advances $1.1 billion Tianjin shipbuilding base
The greenfield yard, featuring two VLCC-scale drydocks, will occupy nearly 146 hectares in the city's Lingang Economic Area.
Pan Ocean confirms new VLCC pair at Qingdao Beihai shipyard
South Korea's Pan Ocean has confirmed its latest pair of ammonia-ready VLCC newbuildings at CSSC-controlled Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding.
Petrobras rises up the tanker rankings as Unipec's grip loosens
Brazil's Petrobras has emerged as one of the biggest gainers in the crude tanker market this year, climbing the charterer rankings as Unipec's dominance eased.
Crude tanker orders hit record high
Crude tanker contracting has reached its highest level on record this year, driven by a surge of orders for very large crude carriers.
Bruton to split 12-ship VLCC programme into two listed vehicles
Tor Olav Trøim-backed Bruton is dividing its 12-VLCC programme into two listed companies, keeping four delivered supertankers in a dividend payer and spinning off eight newbuildings.
Pan Ocean keeps VLCC push rolling
South Korea's Pan Ocean has ordered two more VLCC newbuildings, ammonia-ready and priced at about $122m each, extending a rapid crude tanker expansion.
Yasa tipped for debut VLCC order
Turkey's Yasa Holding is being linked to its first VLCC newbuilding order — four 319,000 dwt units in China at $125m each — amid one of the busiest supertanker ordering spells in years.
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