Eyal Ofer-controlled Zodiac Maritime has commissioned Fukuoka Shipbuilding in Japan to build four stainless steel chemical tankers.
The J19 units, contracted between three and nine months ago, at a range in the mid/high $30m each, will start delivering from the middle of 2024.
The newbuildings have been designed with an optimised hull and energy-saving devices such as pre-swirl stator fins and surf-bulb on the forward part of the rudder – delivering up to 7% efficiency gain.
The order, which forms a part of Zodiac’s ongoing fleet renewal programme, takes the London-headquartered company’s chemical tanker fleet to a total of 16 Japanese-built stainless steel vessels.