Stena Bulk has booked three 50,000 dwt MR tankers at a total price of $200m from Guangzhou-based CSSC Offshore & Marine Engineering (Comec).

The first delivery is planned for end-2017 after which the newbuildings will be delivered at three-monthly intervals to Stena Bulk, the shipowner announced on its website.

The new MR tankers ordered at the Chinese shipyard are of the same type as the 10 chemical and product tankers purchased by Stena Bulk in 2012 from the same shipyard, which was then known as Guangzhou Shipyard International.

“We are very satisfied with the performance of the IMOIIMAX tankers and are thus adding to this part of our fleet still further. With their greater efficiency as regards fuel consumption and cargo, these vessels are also environmentally superior compared to many other vessels in their class, which, of course, is a major advantage. Commercially, they are a good complement to our fleet”, said Erik Hanell, ceo of Stena Bulk.

All the IMOIIMAX tankers will be deployed in Stena Weco’s global logistic system, which currently employs more than 60 vessels.

Four of the 10 vessels ordered earlier – the Stena Impression, Stena Image, Stena Imperial and Stena Important – were delivered this year and the remaining six vessels will be delivered by 2017. Of the ten IMOIIMAX tankers, one is wholly-owned by Stena Bulk, six are owned together with GAR (Golden Agri Resources), two are owned by the sister company Concordia Maritime and one is wholly owned by Stena Weco.