Eyal Ofer’s Zodiac Maritime is seeking to add a Japanese-controlled aframax tanker to its fleet, brokers say.

UK-headquartered Zodiac is closing in on the 105,000-dwt Lion City River (built 2007) at a time when tanker values have been under pressure.

A price of $20.5m is being circulated in the market for the Namura-built ship.

Recently the somewhat larger 116,000-dwt tanker Isis (built 2007) was sold to Atlas Maritime of Greece for a reported $24m.