Singapore-based Parakou Tankers is denying market talk that it has added four more vessels to an ambitious expansion effort running alongside a plan to go public in the US.

Executives say they still likes the idea of increasing the fleet but for the present the company is sticking to an acquisition script filed with financial regulators.

Chief executive Por Liu told TradeWinds: “I wish to buy many more MR [medium-range] tankers because I’m a firm believer in MR tankers.