Pantheon Tankers Orders Two MR Tankers at COSCO SHIPPING Heavy Industry (Guangdong)
Greek shipowner Anna Angelicoussis’s shipping company, Pantheon Tankers, has recently made a significant move into the newbuild market for MR product tankers. The company has signed a contract with COSCO SHIPPING Heavy Industry (Guangdong) for the construction of two 50,000 DWT MR product tankers, with an expected delivery date in 2029.
Pantheon Tankers’ Fleet Expansion
Pantheon Tankers currently operates 14 MR product tankers, with a unique mix of vessels. Six of these tankers were directly ordered from the South Korean shipyard K Shipbuilding and were delivered in 2019. The remaining eight MR product tankers were built between 2016 and 2017 and acquired as secondhand vessels in 2022. The recent order for two MR product tankers from COSCO SHIPPING Heavy Industry (Guangdong) signifies Pantheon Tankers’ re-entry into this tanker market segment after nearly a decade.
Diversified Newbuilding Projects
In addition to its MR product tankers, Pantheon Tankers is also involved in various newbuilding projects. This includes the construction of two VLCCs by Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Corporation, two LNG dual-fuel Suezmax tankers by COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry, Yangzhou, and one Suezmax tanker by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries. Notably, the two 50,000 DWT MR product tankers from COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry (Guangdong) are not yet listed in Pantheon Tankers’ fleet.
Furthermore, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries recently delivered the Suezmax tanker “Sea Topaz” to Pantheon Tankers, with the “Sea Quartz” set for delivery later in 2026. The expansion doesn’t stop here, as Anna Angelicoussis’s entire shipping group, including Alpha Gas and Alpha Bulkers, has also seen significant growth with new orders and operations in LNG carriers and bulk shipping.
The newbuilding market for MR product tankers has shown strong performance in 2026, with global shipowners ordering a total of 104 MR2 product tankers by late July. This ship type has become the second most popular tanker class after VLCCs, with the ratio of orders to fleet size exceeding 17% and the average fleet age at over 12.5 years.
