Nicholas Notias has made his first foray into tankers, widening the circle of shipping players who bet on a recovery for pandemic-stricken oil carriers.

Shipbroking and shipbuilding sources have identified Notias outfit SteelShips as owner of two 50,000-dwt MR ships currently under construction at STX Offshore & Shipbuilding in South Korea.

The firm order is for scrubber-ready and LNG propulsion-ready tankers that cost $37m each and are due for delivery in November 2022.