Market sources report that Venergy Maritime, a subsidiary of Greek shipowner Vyron Vasileiadis, has placed an order with Hengli Heavy Industries for two 306,000 dwt very large crude carriers (VLCCs), with an option for two additional vessels. The contract value was not disclosed, and the new vessels are expected to be delivered in the first quarter of 2029.
This marks Vyron Vasileiadis’s first foray into the VLCC market. Venergy, the core shipping entity under Vyron Vasileiadis, oversees the group’s tanker operations. Over the past year, Venergy has been actively expanding its presence in the tanker sector, having placed orders for 22 new vessels across the Suezmax, LR2, and MR product tanker segments. Including this latest order and the associated options, Venergy’s total tanker orderbook has grown to 26 vessels. Furthermore, the group already has three MR2 tankers in active operation.
In addition to its diversified presence in the tanker market, Venergy expanded into the container shipping sector in 2025 through the establishment of OceanV Maritime—an independent shipowner and management platform under Vyron Vasileiadis, dedicated to the feeder container vessel segment. Since December 2025, the company has placed orders with Huangpu Wenchong for eight 1,900 TEU “Honghu”-class feeder container ships.
Overall, Vyron Vasileiadis’s newbuilding program encompasses MR2 and LR2 tankers, Suezmax tankers, VLCCs, and feeder container ships. Over the past 16 months, the group has placed orders for a total of 34 vessels, with the value of these transactions exceeding $2 billion.
This latest order further strengthens the partnership between the two parties. In June of this year, Venergy ordered two Suezmax tankers from Hengli Heavy Industries, and subsequently exercised options in September to expand the order to four vessels. The first two vessels are scheduled for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2028, with the additional vessels expected to be delivered in 2029.
As for the shipbuilder, Greek shipowners have placed a total of over 220 vessel orders with Hengli Heavy Industries since 2023, representing a combined transaction value of $16.8 billion.