Fredrik Remoy led Rem Offshore has announced its second contract award in a week, confirming a new contract for 2013-built platform supply vessel Rem Insula.

The vessel will continue to serve its client from Peterhead through to 2021.

Last week, Rem Offshore secured a one-year extension from Apache for PSV Rem Mira.

Greek shipping company Medcare Shipping, headed by Vincenzo Morfini, has grown its fleet to five vessels with the acquisition of a 10-year-old Handysize tanker.

Clarksons reports that Grindrod’s Unicorn Shipping has sold 2010-built MR1 product tanker Rhino, with its special survey due in August, for $15.25m to the client of Medcare.

The sale comes after the company offloaded the older sister vessel Inyala for $14.5m last month.

Medcare Shipping currently owns a fleet of two Handysize tankers and two Supramax dry bulkers.

UAE-based oil trader and storage specialist Onex has emerged as the taker of two vintage Eastern Mediterranean (Eastmed) VLCCs.

Broking reports show the 2002-built Grand Lady was taken for $34mand has since been renamed Giessel, while Eastmed’s 2000-built Lucky Trader has also just been taken by Ones for a price in the region of $30m.

Shipbrokers note that Onex waived inspection, seeking prompt delivery in India on this latest deal.

VLCCs are a step up for Dubai-based Onex, whose fleet has tended to focus on Aframaxes, Suezmaxes, Handymaxes and MR product tankers.

China Development Bank Financial Leasing (CDB Leasing) has announced via the Hong Kong Stock Exchange orders for eight 210,000 DWT Newcastlemax bulk carriers to be built at three state-owned shipyards in the People’s Republic.

The deal, worth a combined $417.6m, will see the ships start to deliver from the end of next year.

VesselsValue lists the current fleet of CDB Leasing as heavily dry bulk focused with 62 bulkers on the water as well as five boxships, an Aframax, two LNG carriers and one VLGC.

Diana Shipping has entered into a time charter contract with Koch Shipping for 2005-built Capesize Aliki.

The charter commenced last week and is through to between January 1, 2021 and March 15, 2021 at a gross charter rate of $11,300 per day. The vessel was previously on charter to SwissMarine at $18,000 per day.

The charter is expected to generate around $2.81m in revenue based on the minimum time charter period.

Geneva-based Advantage Tankers has acquired a trio of Chinese-built tankers from China VLCC, according to brokers.

According to both Advanced Shipping & Trading and Seasure Shipbroking, Advantage has agreed on a deal for 2009-built New Creation and New Talisman as well as 2010-built New Coral, with the deal now on subjects. The price of the 2009-built vessels is $46m each and the 2010-built vessel $48m, which is pretty much in line with valuations from VesselsValue.

It currently has a fleet of 17 tankers, made up of two VLCCs, five Suezmaxes, five Aframaxes and five MR1s.

Belgium tanker operator Euronav has sold its 2005-built VLCC TI Hellas to Greek owner Altomare as it continues to optimize its fleet.

According to shipbroking sources, the Hyundai Samho-built vessel has fetched a price of $38.3m, significantly higher than VesselsValue’s valuation of $34.68m.

The vessel is the third tanker sold by Euronav this year following the sale of the 2001-built Suezmax tanker Cap Diamant in April and 2003-built Suezmax Finesse in February.

Bulker sales are thin on the ground this month. One rare sale, however, has caught the eye. BW Dry Cargo has sold the 2010-built Kamsarmax BW Barley to a new name in dry bulk, Sterling Shipping.

Brokers report Sterling has paid $15.5m for the ship, in a deal that comes with a two-year time charter back to BW at around $11,000 a day.

For Malta-registered Sterling, this is the second ship it has bought since it was founded in early 2018. And its first vessel acquisition was also from BW Dry Cargo, taking the 2013-built BW Hazel at the end of January this year, a ship that has been rechristened Sterling Svea and is now time-chartered back to BW for a firm period of two years.

Denmark’s Maersk Tankers had continued to sell down its fleet with the sale of 2004-built MR1 tanker Ribe Maersk.

Multiple shipbroking reports have listed the sale, in the region of $8 to Indonesian buyers, however,  none of the reports have identified the company behind the acquisition.

The buyer is Waruna, who has been linked this week to the acquisition of Norbulk Shipping’s 2005-built MR tanker Esther.

The sale is the first for Maersk Tankers this year and follows the sale of 15 vessels last year according to the VesselsValue. Eleven of the vessels were straight S&P deals, while four were sale-and-leaseback deals with ICBC.

On the acquisition front, Maersk Tankers brought in eight vessels of which seven were MR1s in a deal with Malaysia’s AET. It also has 10 LR2 tankers under construction at Chinese yard DSIC.

Greek dry bulk owner Diana Shipping has entered into a time charter contract with Uniper Global Commodities for 2005-built Panamax bulker Calipso.

The charter commenced earlier this week, and is though to between October 15 and December 31, 2020. Uniper will pay $4,750 per day for the first 45 days and $8,250 per day for the remainder of the charter. Previously, the vessel was on charter to Crystal Sea Shipping at $15,400 per day.

Diana Shipping had sold the Calipso in December 2019 for $7.275m, however the deal fell through in February.

Earlier this week, Diana Shipping fixed 2009-built capesize bulker Houston to Monaco’s C Transport Maritime.