Tanker newbuilding orders in the first four months of 2021 have maintained the high pace of ordering seen in the final quarter of last year, said a top shipbroker.

Some 13.9m dwt was contracted between January and April, up from 9.3m dwt in the same period of 2020, according to Simpson Spence Young (SSY). Some 11.1m dwt was ordered in the fourth quarter of 2020.