Laskaridis Tankers, the Greek shipping company led by Athanasios Laskaridis, has doubled its order for Aframax/LR2 tankers at Hengli Heavy Industries.
Laskaridis Tankers recently signed a contract with Hengli Heavy Industries for the construction of two 114,000 DWT Aframax/LR2 oil tankers, which are expected to be delivered in 2028. Including the shipbuilding contract signed at the end of 2025, Laskaridis currently has four 114,000 DWT Aframax/LR2 oil tankers under construction at Hengli Heavy Industries, with the first two scheduled for delivery in 2027.
As early as October 12, Hengli Heavy Industries announced that it had signed contracts with several Greek shipowners for the construction of 12 oil tankers, including 6 VLCCs, 2 Suezmax tankers, and 4 LR2 tankers. It is speculated that Laskaridis Tankers’ newbuilding project is highly likely to be included among these 12 new vessels.
Records indicate that Athanasios Laskaridis manages the Alimia Group, which consists of Alimia Shipping and Alimia Tankers—the two entities that own the group’s vessels. Laskaridis Tankers, established in 2025, manages the group’s tanker fleet, while the earlier-established Laskaridis Maritime oversees its dry bulk operations.
The partnership between Alimia Group and Hengli Heavy Industries began in May 2023, when Laskaridis Maritime placed an order with Hengli Heavy Industries for four 82,000 DWT bulk carriers and subsequently placed an additional order for six bulk carriers of the same type in 2024; all vessels in this batch have now been delivered. In 2025, the two parties expanded their partnership by signing contracts for the construction of two 306,000 DWT VLCCs and two Aframax/LR2 oil tankers; including the latest orders, the group has placed orders for at least 16 newbuilds with Hengli Heavy Industries.
Regarding the Aframax/LR2 tanker segment, in which Laskaridis Tankers has placed additional orders, data from shipbroker Xclusiv Shipbrokers shows that, so far in 2026, global shipowners have placed orders for a total of 108 Aframax/LR2 tankers; in terms of deadweight tonnage, the volume of orders represents 21% of the active fleet. Meanwhile, approximately 45% of the existing fleet is 16 years old or older.