Sonangol’s Suezmax tanker named at Hyundai Samho

South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Samho Shipyard hosted a naming ceremony today for Sonangol Kulumbimbi, a Suezmax tanker built for Sonangol Shipping Holding Limited, part of Angola’s state-controlled oil company Sonangol EP.

The vessel is the first of two crude oil tankers Hyundai Samho is building for Sonangol, and its naming ceremony follows the vessel’s launching in February 2023.

Namely, Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries won a contract to build two 158,000 dwt Suzmaxes for Sonangol in April 2021.

The contract was valued at KRW 153.1 billion (about $137 million), and the ships were scheduled to be delivered to their owner by the end of December 2023, as disclosed at the time

Both tankers will have the capacity to transport one million barrels of crude oil each.

According to Sonangol, the first vessel is slated for delivery in April, while the second vessel from the batch is set for delivery in September.

These ships are described as the most capable, fuel-efficient vessels available in the market, measuring 2,749m in length, 48m in width, and 23m in height, and specifically designed for transit through the Suez Canal.

The vessel is intended for the Stena Sonangol Suezmax Pool, a joint venture between Stena Bulk, and Sonangol established 18 years ago. The JV has 20 ships in its fleet the equivalent of 3.1 million dwt in total and with an average age of 9.1 years.