Mr Frederik Guttormsen, Managing Director, Shipping, IMC Industrial Group said, “Beyond renewing our fleet with modern tonnage to provide our customers with safe, reliable and cost-effective voyages, we are looking to double the number of vessels in our Pool, building on our positive view of the forward chemical market. The first seven ships of the series have been received positively by our customers and achieved encouraging performance levels.”

Construction of Aurora Tankers’ newbuildings was conceptualised, developed and supervised by IMC Shipping’s in-house newbuilding consultancy, ship conversion and engineering project services division. Named after virtues to reflect IMC’s core values, Maritime Verity and her sister newbuildings have 22 cargo tanks each and are installed with Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems (SOx scrubber), meeting IMO’s Energy Efficient Design Index Phase 3 requirements with more than 30% reduction in CO2 values. They are also equipped with high-tech real-time vessel performance monitoring systems. These attributes, coupled with energy-efficient engine room operations and cargo handling systems, allow the vessels to offer more efficient fuel consumption, a cleaner environmental footprint, enhanced operating accuracy and optimum manpower utilisation.

Mr Guttormsen added, “Our transformation from a traditional shipowner to a services-focused operator is well underway. We have stayed resilient against the challenges of COVID-19 and continue to leverage our legacy knowledge and expertise to expand our business capabilities. We are making strategic investments in digital solutions, developing integrated services and forging partnerships that create value for customers and sharpen their competitive edge.”

Aurora Tankers operates one of the largest Asia-based fleets of chemical tankers and has over 25 years of experience in liquid bulk shipping with a proven track record in meeting safety and reliability standards of oil majors and key chemical companies. With offices in Singapore, Shanghai, Houston, Dubai, Seoul and Tokyo, Aurora Tankers is well-positioned to serve customers in all the major markets. In addition to its fleet renewal exercise and digitalisation activities, it recently embarked on a strategic partnership with Golden Stena Baycrest Tankers to operate and manage J19 stainless-steel chemical tankers to serve customers with greater flexibility and position for further growth in an expanding market.