The company said in a statement, releasedafter a signing ceremony in London today, that nine of the vessels are expectedto be 50,000dwt ships, with the balance being 40,000dwt tankers.

The first vessels are due for delivery in firstquarter 2016 with handovers completing by end-2017.

TradeWinds first reported BP had started totrawl yards for MR berths in March and named HMD as its yard of choice lastmonth.

Themajor said the move is part of BP Shipping’s continual evaluation of its fleetto ensure it meets the needs of the wider BP Group and reflects businessrequirements.

BPShipping chief executive John Ridgway, CEO of BP Shipping, said: “The safetransportation of hydrocarbons for the BP Group is always BP Shipping’spurpose. This deal underlines our commitment to delivering oil and gas safely,and also our drive to do this as efficiently as possible.”