A mysterious low-profile tanker player that only started taking in vessels in February this year is said to have inked a newbuilding order for up to eight aframax product tankers worth almost half a billion dollars in China.

The ambitious move is believed to be Kurow Shipping’s debut newbuilding deal and a first for any of the nascent operators to have joined the tanker sector since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, which has sent product tanker markets surging.