Knightsbridge Tankers Limited announced that the sale of two VLCC was completed and the vessel Hampstead and Titan Venus will be delivered to the new owners in the fourth quarter of 2012. The company has serious financial problems, because of the financial crisis and bad conditions in the maritime transport sector. The sale of the two crude carriers will stabilize the company will we save them from bankruptcy. The both ships have bareboat charter, which expires in the end of the year and after this will join to the new fleets. The prices of the deal was not announced, but the money will be used for investment in new smaller and more modern vessel, as part from the company’s intention to renew and grow its fleet. This is anly the first step from renovation of the Knightsbridge Tankers Limited’s vessels,as the next wave of ships for sale will be in next three year, when are expiring the charters of the other supertankers.
The oil tanker Hampstead (IMO: 9077886) has length of 331.00 m, beam of 58.00 m and maximum draft of 20.90 m. The deadweight of the ship is 298,306 DWT and the gross tonnage is 156,802 GRT. The ship was built by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering in 1996.
The other VLCC Titan Venus (IMO: 8506593) has length of 332.00 m, beam of 58.00 m and draft of 19.00 m. The deadweight of the ship is 250,267 DWT and the gross tonnage is 136,688 GRT. The oil tanker was built in Japanese shipyard of IHI Marine United Tokyo in 1986.