Kristian Gerhard Jebsen Skiprederi has sold the Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries-built 158,000-dwt SKS Satilla (built 2006), with shipbrokers saying the tanker has gone to a Vietnamese buyer for $23m.

Geir Mjelde, chief executive of the Norwegian shipowner, did not respond to a request for comment.

But if the reported price is correct, it appears to reflect a firming market, with VesselsValue estimating the tanker to be worth $21.3m.