Exmar has celebrated the steel cutting ceremony for its first Suezmax tanker at DaeHan Instrument Co., Ltd in South Korea, marking the Belgian shipping group's return to tanker construction after more than two decades. The company last delivered a tanker, the FLANDRE, over 20 years ago, and the steel cutting for the new Suezmax vessel signals the start of a fresh chapter in its shipbuilding activities. Exmar said the milestone was made possible through the efforts of all parties involved in the project and indicated it would provide further updates as construction progresses. Suezmax tankers are typically designed to carry crude oil in the range of 120,000 to 200,000 DWT while remaining able to transit the Suez Canal fully laden, making them a widely used vessel class in global crude trades. Exmar, headquartered in Belgium, has historically focused on gas carriers and specialized shipping segments, and the new project represents an expansion of its newbuilding portfolio into the tanker sector. No further details on the vessel's specifications, delivery schedule, or contract value were disclosed.
