Capital Tankers, under the leadership of Evangelos Marinakis, has secured purchase options for 13 tankers from Capital Maritime & Trading Corp. (hereinafter referred to as "Capital Maritime"), with the exercise price for the option vessels set at the shipbuilding contract price.

The fleet in question comprises 11 very large crude carriers (VLCCs) built by Hengli Shipbuilding and two Suezmax tankers built by HD Hyundai Samho, scheduled for delivery in phases from the fourth quarter of 2027 to the third quarter of 2028. This delivery timeline is earlier than that of comparable newbuilds currently available in the market, most of which are booked for delivery in the second half of 2029 or later.

Capital Tankers may exercise the purchase options for any vessel in this fleet at the shipbuilding contract price on or before December 31, 2026; should any of the vessels be sold to a third party after the expiration of this period, the company retains a right of first refusal. According to a third-party vessel appraisal issued on August 18, the overall market value of the option fleet exceeds the exercise cost by USD 253.7 million.

Capital Tankers continued to expand its fleet in the second quarter, during which it took delivery of seven vessels, including three Suezmax tankers and four Aframax/LR2 tankers. At the end of the quarter, it further took delivery of two tankers built at New Times Shipbuilding in 2026: the 155,378 dwt Suezmax tanker "Aristodimos," equipped with a scrubber, and the 111,791 dwt LNG dual-fuel LR2 tanker "Athinagoras."

Against this backdrop, Capital Tankers currently owns and operates a fleet of 15 tankers, comprising one VLCC, six Suezmax tankers, four Aframax tankers, and four LR2 tankers. Among these, nine are equipped with scrubbers, and 12 are either equipped with or have been预留 (prepared) for LNG dual-fuel conversion capability.

Overall, the company also has 18 newbuilds scheduled for delivery in phases from 2026 to 2028. Including these newbuilds, Capital Tankers will operate a total of 33 vessels, of which 23 will be capable of using LNG as fuel. By vessel type, these comprise 15 VLCCs, 10 Suezmax tankers, and eight Aframax/LR2 tankers, while the company also holds purchase options for 13 crude oil tankers.