Vafias ships out tanker pair to spin-off Imperial

Greek tanker and bulker owner Imperial Petroleum has agreed to acquire two tankers from affiliate companies owned by its CEO Harry Vafias.

Imperial Petroleum said in a statement that it bought the 2009-built aframax tanker Stealth Haralambos and the 2008-built MR2 product tanker Aquadisiac built in 2008, with an aggregate capacity of approximately 163,716 dwt.

According to the company, the aggregate purchase price for these acquisitions is $71m. Both vessels will be delivered on a charter-free basis by the end of January 2024.

The Nasdaq-listed spinoff of Vafias-led StealthGas added that it would finance the purchase price with cash on hand.

Imperial Petroleum, founded in 2021, will following the transaction have a fleet made up of five MR tankers, two suezmaxes, one MR2 tanker, one aframax, and two handysize bulkers.