Tsakos orders bulkers

Tsakos Shipping and Trading SA, a subsidiary of Athens-based Tsakos Group, has reportedly said that it has ordered six ships from Sino Pacific Heavy Industries Group’s Zhejiang Shipyard for about $210 million. The first of the 53,000 DWT bulk carriers is scheduled for delivery in December 2007, four units to arrive in 2008 and the last in 2009.

Tsakos Shipping manages and operates a fleet of about 69 tankers, bulk carriers and container ships with a total capacity of about 6.7 million DWT. The figures include the tankers of its publicly traded unit Bermuda-based Tsakos Energy Navigation Ltd.

Reports have also been received that Athens-based Quintana Maritime has bought the dry-bulk carrier ?Mineral Temse? for about $93.5 million. The 177,000 DWT ship, which is under construction and scheduled for delivery in April 2007, currently belongs to Bocimar, the dry-bulk unit of Antwerp-based Cie. Maritime Belge SA, and has already been chartered out to China’s Transfield Shipping.