Report: Scorpio Tankers to Offload Tanker Pair

Scorpio Tankers Monaco-based tanker shipping company Scorpio Tankers has decided to sell two of its medium range 2 (MR2) chemical product tankers to an undisclosed buyer, VesselsValues data shows.  The ships in question are STI Emerald and STI Sapphire and they have been sold for USD 28 million each, according to information provided by VesselsValue. Both 52,000 dwt tankers were built at South Korean Hyundai Mipo shipyard in 2013. The Marshall Island-flagged vessels have a length of 183.3 meters and a width of 32.2 meters. When contacted, Scorpio Groups spokesperson told World Maritime News that the company has no comment on this market rumor. Last month, the company entered into agreements to sell and leaseback three MR product tankers, STI Beryl, STI Le Rocher and STI Larvotto, to Chinas Bank of Communications. The 52,000 dwt ships were also constructed at Hyundai Mipo in 2013. Recently, Scorpio Tankers released financial results for the first quarter of 2017 which show that the company suffered a net loss of USD 11.5 million, compared to a net income of USD 28 million posted in the same period of 2016. The decrease was driven mainly by low time charter equivalent (TCE) rates.