Italian product tanker owner Augusta Due has signed a contract for three 40,800 dwt oil and chemical tankers to be built in China, as the Mednav Group company continues a wider fleet renewal programme. The Rome-based owner placed the order with Anhui Port & Shipping Sealand Equipment, part of Tongling Port and Shipping Group. Neither pricing nor delivery dates have been disclosed. The vessels will offer about 48,500 cu m of cargo capacity across six pairs of cargo tanks, supported by seven independent cargo transfer lines, and have been designed to carry chemicals as well as crude and refined petroleum products covered by MARPOL Annex I. Main and auxiliary engines will be capable of running on low-sulphur fuel oil, marine gasoil and biofuel blends, with SCR equipment fitted to meet IMO Tier III requirements. Augusta Due has operated in the product and chemical tanker segment since 1994, running owned and chartered tonnage from about 3,000 dwt to 42,000 dwt, largely serving oil majors and trading houses in the Mediterranean. The Brullo family-controlled company has been steadily adding modern Chinese-built ships, having taken delivery of the 18,500 dwt Primo M from Fujian Southeast Shipbuilding in early 2025 and the 18,590 dwt Ginostra M later that year, both part of a programme to replace older vessels. For Sealand, the order represents a further step into higher-specification tanker construction, following its first oil and chemical tanker contract announced in July, a 10,000 dwt vessel booked by an unnamed European customer through its shipbuilding partnership with Tongling Port and Shipping.