Hayfin pounces on TRF suezmax

Hayfin Capital Management has been linked to a suezmax tanker buy from US owner Transportation Recovery Fund (TRF), whose shipping business is run by Fearnleys-linked TRF Ship Management in Oslo.

Multiple brokers reported the UK-based shipping investor paying between $67m and $68m for the
Namsen built by New Times Shipbuilding in 2016.

The ship was part of the NT Suez joint venture formed in 2014 by Diamond S and WLR/TRF Shipping to construct and own two suezmaxes.

The jv was dissolved by International Seaways following the $2.2bn takeover of Diamond S in 2021, leaving WLR/TRF with Namsen while the US tanker owner got the 157,500 dwt sister ship Loire.

The latest purchase will take Hayfin’s fleet to nine ships, of which four tankers, according to VesselsValue data.