Erik Thun Group subsidiary Thun Tankers has placed an order with China's Avic Dingheng Shipbuilding for the construction of four new 17,500dwt tankers.

The new vessels will be built in compliance with International Maritime Organisation (IMO) type II requirement for product / chemical tankers, and are to be commercially managed by Gothia Tanker Alliance member Furetank Chartering.

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more

The newbuilds will feature various tailor made solutions to meet Erik the requirements of Erik Thun Group customers, with particular focus given to energy efficiency, sustainability, new regulations and other requirements.

Delivery of the vessels is scheduled to be carried out between April 2019 and January 2020.

Erik Thun managing director Anders Källsson said: “In Erik Thun, we have a long history of building, owning, and operating both tankers and dry cargo ships in different sizes and with different trading areas, always with the focus on our clients’ needs.

“We have built and operated intermediate size product tankers in the past and are comfortable to re-enter into the intermediate segment with our new-buildings.

GlobalData Strategic Intelligence

US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?

Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.

By GlobalData

“To commercially place the vessels with our close partner Furetank was a natural decision for us.”

"We have built and operated intermediate size product tankers in the past and are comfortable to re-enter into the intermediate segment with our new-buildings."

The latest order has brought Erik Thun Group’s total new-buildings order to 11. In addition to five intermediate tankers, The company has also ordered four 8,000dwt coastal tankers at Sheepswerf Ferus Smit in the Netherlands to be delivered between 2018 and 2021.

Erik Thun deputy managing director Johan Källsson said: “With the investments in intermediate tankers we do not only deepen our good co-operation further with the partners in the Gothia Tanker Alliance, together with our smaller coastal tankers we can also widen our joint offering towards our customers.”

Thun Tankers previously placed a joint order with Furetank Rederi and Rederi AB Älvtank for six 16,300dwt intermediate tankers with liquefied natural gas (LNG) propulsion.

The vessels are currently being built at Avic Dingheng Shipbuilding yard in China.


Image: Thun Tankers orders four new tankers. Photo: courtesy of Gothia Tanker Alliance.

Ship Technology Excellence Awards - Nominations Closed

Nominations are now closed for the Ship Technology Excellence Awards. A big thanks to all the organisations that entered – your response has been outstanding, showcasing exceptional innovation, leadership, and impact.

Excellence in Action
Dual winner of the 2025 Ship Technology Excellence Awards , Flyability’s Elios 3 UT drone is redefining ship inspections. See how class-approved LiDAR and UT data, collision-tolerant design and digital twins are replacing scaffolding and rope access with faster, safer remote inspection workflows.

Discover the Impact