Union Maritime, the UK’s biggest independent tanker owner, with a fleet of 60 ships, has seen its diversification into the crude market begin to pay off.

The privately owned company, which initially focused on the product sector, said turnover and profits increased in 2019 after recent crude tanker buys, with momentum ­continuing into this year.

“The significant improvement in our performance was driven by the upward shift in the tanker markets during the latter part of 2019,” said managing director Laurent Cadji.