Japanese trading house Mitsui & Co is believed to have ordered four 50,000-dwt tankers at Hyundai Vietnam Shipbuilding to be delivered by the second half of 2025.

Shipbuilding sources said Mitsui & Co was the unnamed “African” shipping company behind the order of four MR newbuildings that Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering announced early this week.

The South Korean shipbuilding group disclosed that two “African” shipping companies had ordered newbuildings with a total value of KRW 525bn ($378m).