Seatrade-Maritime: Ardmore Shipping adds two more tankers at Wuhu Shipyard

Published by Seatrade-Maritime

Ardmore Shipping Corporation has moved to expand its tonnage portfolio by activating options for two extra 40,500 dwt product and chemical tankers.

All four vessels will be built at Wuhu Shipyard, with handover scheduled to commence in late 2028. This fleet expansion forms a core part of the carrier’s long-term development blueprint and will substantially lift its overall operating capacity.

The 40,500 dwt vessels will feature 8+1 cargo tanks, enabling the carriage of up to eight chemical or refined product grades simultaneously.

Gernot Ruppelt, Chief Executive Officer of Ardmore Shipping, stated that “We are delighted to scale up our asset base with these multi-purpose, state-of-the-art tankers. The vessels fit perfectly with our long-term corporate strategy, and this deal also strengthens our established partnership with a reliable shipbuilder,”

The two supplementary tankers advance Ardmore’s ongoing fleet modernisation programme, while boosting operational efficiency and enabling the firm to better cater to customers’ transportation requirements.

Upon delivery, the four newbuilds will join Ardmore’s current fleet of product and chemical tankers, a segment that underpins worldwide trade via the carriage of refined petroleum products and assorted liquid bulk cargoes.