Thanassis Laskaridis, the Greek owner, has doubled his commitment at Hengli Heavy Industries in China by placing a new order for two LR2 tankers. These two vessels, with a deadweight tonnage (dwt) of 114,000 tons, will be added to his previous program, with their delivery scheduled for 2028.
Details of the New Order
With these new contracts, Thanassis Laskaridis's total commitments have reached four LR2 tankers at the Chinese Hengli yard. This order follows an agreement made in late 2025 for two tankers of the same dimensions. The previous tankers are set to be delivered in 2027. The Laskaridis Group operates through Alimia Shipping and Alimia Tankers, while his growing fleet of tankers is managed by Laskaridis Tankers.
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Changes in Fleet and Investment Strategy
The combined tanker fleet and order book of the group now includes 10 vessels, evenly split between MR2 tankers with a capacity of 49,800 dwt and LR2s. The new orders come after the group's exit from two VLCC (Very Large Crude Carrier) construction positions that were ultimately sold to the Trafigura trading and shipping group. Thanassis Laskaridis had previously entered the VLCC sector at Hengli in 2025, establishing a relationship with the Chinese yard through a broad program for building Kamsarmax vessels.
The group has since shifted part of its tanker investment towards the product and Aframax sectors, and the new agreement with Hengli adds capacity that is outside of the existing 2027 tanker deliveries.
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