Odfjell has signed an agreement to acquire four 40,000 dwt stainless steel tankers that will be built at Kitanihon Shipbuilding in Japan, in a transaction worth around $290 million.
The company said it will purchase the ships from a Japanese owner upon delivery, with handovers scheduled between the first quarter of 2027 and the second quarter of 2029.
The deal deepens Odfjell’s long-standing ties with Japan. Late last year, the company entered a joint venture agreement with Nissen Kaiun Co to expand their cooperation, with 10 chemical tankers already operating under Odfjell Tankers’ commercial management.
The four new acquisitions form part of Odfjell’s wider fleet renewal programme. Since the second quarter of 2025, the company has recycled three super-segregators and sold a newbuilding contract for a 26,000 dwt vessel that had been under construction in China.
Chief executive Harald Fotland said the newly acquired ships will become Odfjell’s next-generation super-segregators, tailored for the company’s core deep-sea trades. He said the vessels’ modern design, combined with features such as sails, gate rudders and other energy-saving technologies, will set a new benchmark for fuel efficiency.
Odfjell said the EEDI Phase 5-compliant ships are expected to achieve an Annual Efficiency Ratio around 25% lower than the most energy-efficient 40,000 dwt vessels currently operating in its fleet.
At the end of 2025, Odfjell’s fleet stood at 70 ships, including 32 super-segregators, eight large stainless steel vessels and 22 medium stainless steel ships. The company also had 22 newbuildings on order.
