Navios Maritime Partners, a U.S.-listed shipping company, is expanding its investment in new vessels while selling one older vessel and taking delivery of two new vessels.
Investing over $700 million to purchase seven new vessels of three different types
Recently, Navios Maritime disclosed in its “Financial Results for the Third Quarter and First Three Quarters of 2026” that during the third quarter of 2026, the company acquired newbuild tanker projects with a total value of $215.2 million. Specifically: in September, it entered into an agreement to acquire two MR product tankers at a unit price of $45.6 million per vessel, for a total value of approximately $91.2 million; in October, the company entered into an agreement to acquire one Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) for $124 million.
All three new vessels are equipped with desulfurization systems and were acquired from unrelated third parties; details regarding the sellers and shipyards have not been disclosed. Delivery is scheduled for the second half of 2029.
With the addition of one newly acquired VLCC, Navios Maritime’s VLCC newbuild program has expanded to eight vessels, with a total investment of $967.5 million. The previous seven vessels were announced in the first quarter of 2026 (4+2+2 vessels, with the first four costing approximately $482 million) and the second quarter (three vessels, costing approximately $361.5 million). According to market reports, the first four VLCCs will be built by Wuhu Shipyard, with each vessel having a deadweight tonnage of 319,000 tons.
Meanwhile, Navios Maritime has confirmed in its latest earnings report the construction contracts for four 10,100 TEU container ships signed in September, representing a total investment of $488 million. The new vessels are equipped with desulfurization systems and shore power systems, and have all been chartered under 5.6-year charter agreements. According to market reports, the new vessels are being built by the South Korean shipbuilder HJ Shipbuilding & Construction.
Thus, during the reporting period, Navios Maritime made a total investment of $703.2 million to acquire four container ships, one VLCC, and two MR product tankers.
Sale of 1 secondhand vessel; acquisition of 2 new vessels
To accelerate the optimization of its fleet structure, in August 2026, Navios Maritime entered into a ship sale agreement with an unaffiliated third party, agreeing to sell one of its Capesize bulk carriers, built in 2009 with a deadweight tonnage of 180,727 tons, for $30.8 million. The vessel was delivered to its new owner in October 2026.
In September, Navios Partners took delivery of two new vessels: a 49,998 DWT MR2 product tanker built in 2026, for which a five-year charter agreement has been signed; and a 7,900 TEU container ship built in 2026, for which a four-year charter agreement has been signed.
In terms of chartering, the quarterly report shows that Navios Maritime secured $735.1 million in new charter contracts covering eight container ships, four tankers, and two bulk carriers in its fleet; the longest charter terms extend through 2037, and the total contract backlog stands at $5 billion.
As of now, Navios Maritime owns and operates a diversified fleet of 182 vessels, including 65 bulk carriers, 54 container ships, and 63 tankers. This fleet does not include one 4,730-TEU container ship for which a sale agreement has been reached.
The fleet includes 3 Capesize bulk carriers currently under construction, scheduled for delivery in the second half of 2028 and in 2029; 10 container ships currently under construction (2 7,900-TEU container ships, 4 8,850-TEU container ships, and 4 10,100-TEU container ships), scheduled for delivery by the first half of 2029; 21 oil tankers currently under construction (8 VLCCs, 8 Aframax/LR2 tankers, and 5 MR2 product tankers), scheduled for delivery throughout 2029.