Belgian tanker giant Euronav has sold three of its very large crude carriers (VLCCs) and ordered two newcastlemaxes and an additional VLCC.

The three sold VLCCs are the 2008-built 307，284 dwt Nectar， the 2009-built 307，208 dwt Newton， and the 2008-built 307，284 dwt Noble. The company said the sale would generate a capital gain of $83.5m.

Furthermore， Euronav ordered three vessels – two newcastlemax and a VLCC – from Qingdao Beihai Shipyard in China. The vessels will be delivered in the first and second quarters of 2027. Combined， Euronav and CMB.TECH have five VLCCs and 24 newcastlemaxes on order at the Chinese shipyard. All of the vessels will be ammonia-ready or fitted.

The Saverys family-controlled company added that it took delivery of the fourth super-eco newcastlemax named Mineral France. This brings Euronav and CMB.TECH’s newcastlemax fleet to four vessels on the water. Another six such vessels are expected to be delivered during 2024. The combined fleet of the two companies stands at 150 ocean-going vessels， including newbuildings， in dry bulk， container shipping， chemical tankers， offshore wind， and oil tankers.

Earlier this week， Compagnie Maritime Belge (CMB) announced that it now controls 88.61% of Euronav following the closing of the takeover bid worth north of $1.2bn.