"[Our] nominal target is to become, say, the number one trader and number one handling LPG player in the world," its president Osamu Masuda told Platts.

"With the increase in US export supply in five years to up to 30m mt/year, it would be a good opportunity to trade US volumes.

"As a result, we would most probably increase our fleet to 30 vessels [by 2020], owned and time-chartered, depending on the situation."

Astomos