Shipowners are starting to pay a premium for environmentally friendly new tonnage.
An affiliate of AP Moller-Maersk is tipped as the buyer of two medium-range tankers under construction at Hyundai Mipo Dockyard in South Korea.
Of the 53,000-dwt sisters Gan Treasure and Gan Trust, believed to have been originally inked by Dunya Denizcilik of Turkey for $49m a piece in 2007, one will boast a fuel-efficient engine and appears to have gone for $2m more than its sister, which fetched an estimated $31.5m in the Maersk resale deal.
Brokers say the ships, which are due for delivery in August 2012 and January 2013 are nearly identical and include ballast water treatment upgrades but are told by the yard that the Gan Trust can travel at the same speeds on less fuel.
While the claim cannot truly be tested before the vessel hits the water, industry pundits say that perceptions surrounding the potential benefits are enough to influence asset prices in an increasingly competitive market.