Hercules Tanker Management (HTM) on Monday (1 June) announced the acquisition of five product and chemical tankers as part of its continued fleet expansion.

HTM is the shipping venture launched by John A. Bassadone, founder and CEO of independent marine fuel supplier Peninsula.

The company acquired STI Madison (2014 LR2), STI Brooklyn (2015 MR2) and STI Black Hawk (2015 MR2) – acquired from Scorpio Tankers; and Nord Marvel (2020 MR2) and Nord Maverick (2020 MR2) – acquired from Norden.

 The acquisitions represent a combined investment of approximately USD 225 million, with all vessels secured on long-term commercial charters, reinforcing Hercules’ strategy of pairing asset ownership with contracted earnings visibility.

“The acquisitions have been completed against the backdrop of a firm tanker asset market, with second-hand values continuing to trade at historically elevated levels due to strong freight markets, constrained fleet growth and limited shipyard availability,” the company said. 

 All five vessels enter the Hercules fleet with long-term commercial employment already secured, consistent with the company’s strategy of combining asset-backed exposure to tanker markets, with downside protection through contracted earnings, and operational flexibility to serve the growing global cargo flows of its partners and affiliates.

The acquisitions form part of a broader and ongoing fleet development programme at Hercules. 

The company continues to progress its newbuilding programme with Jiangmen Hangtong Shipyard in China, where it has committed to a series of up to 10 ‘ultra-spec’ chemical tankers, designed with flexibility to supply conventional fuels, biofuels and methanol, alongside enhanced efficiency and emissions performance. 

In parallel, Hercules is also investing in next-generation energy infrastructure through the construction of an 18,000 cbm LNG bunkering vessel at Hyundai Mipo, scheduled for delivery in 2027.

Market benchmarks indicate vessels of this type are currently contracting at approximately USD 90–95 million per unit, underlining the strategic and capital commitment behind this segment.

John A. Bassadone, Founder and CEO of Hercules Tanker Management, said: “This is another step in building Hercules carefully and deliberately. We are not trying to grow for growth’s sake. Our focus is on acquiring the right assets, at the right time, with the right commercial backing.

“These vessels come with strong employment already in place, which provides stability, while still allowing us to participate in a market we believe has solid fundamentals over the medium term. We are fortunate to be in a position where global cargo flows can underpin our investments, and we remain mindful that discipline is critical in this cycle.

“Additionally, we are currently engaged in negotiations for newbuilds of all sizes including LR2s, MRs, and Handys, as well as additional ultra spec vessels.”

Related: Peninsula founder launches shipping firm Hercules Tanker Management
Related: Hercules Tanker Management plans fleet expansion with new chemical bunker tankers
Related: Hercules Tanker Management orders LNG bunkering vessel from Hyundai Mipo

Photo credit: Hercules Tanker Management
Published: 2 June, 2026

The Methanol Institute recently shared with Manifold Times the renewable and low-carbon methanol project pipeline May 2026 release produced by GENA Solutions Oy.

Information from the release is meant to provide the bunkering publication’s readers with insight on renewable methanol availability, and to assist the maritime industry in the adoption of methanol as a mainstream marine fuel heading into IMO 2030/2050.

Key takeaways from GENA’s May 2026 Methanol release are as follows:

• A biomethanol project in China signed an EPC contract in May. GENA estimates that more than 3 Mt of biomethanol and e-methanol capacity is currently under construction in China.
• Six new projects were added to Project Navigator, while five frozen projects were excluded. The project pipeline increased by 0.6 Mt month on month.
• Project Navigator tracks 282 renewable and low-carbon methanol projects, representing 61.6 Mt of capacity by 2031, including 24.9 Mt of e-methanol, 25.6 Mt of biomethanol, and 11.2 Mt of low-carbon methanol.
• GENA estimates that renewable methanol capacity could grow from 0.9 Mt in 2025 to 1.5 Mt by the end of 2026, 2.2–2.4 Mt in 2027, and 5-12 Mt in 2030.
• Europe accounts for more than 10 Mt of renewable and low-carbon methanol projects, about 79% of which use hydrogen as one of the feedstocks.
• More than 31 Mt of projects are under development in China, with biomass gasification accounting for 61% of the pipeline.
• North America accounts for more than 10 Mt of projects, mainly using CCS.

Note: The full article can be viewed here.

Photo credit: GENA Solutions
Published: 2 June, 2026

Maritime Blue, in collaboration with the Port of Seattle, Port of Tacoma, Northwest Seaport Alliance, and American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), is seeking a qualified naval architecture firm to develop design schematics for a methanol bunker barge.

A Request for Proposals (RFP), issued on 11 May, invited companies to submit a proposal for the barge, which will be used as the supply ship in a ship-to-ship methanol bunkering exercise during a high level risk assessment workshop planned for September 2026. 

The design is intended for a desktop exercise to identify operational requirements and safety gaps for green methanol bunkering in the Seattle-Tacoma Gateway.

The bunker barge is expected to have a methanol capacity of approximately 30,000 bbls but contractors may propose alternative capacities with justification. 

The receiving ship for the workshop has not been selected yet, but is anticipated to be a cargo, container, cruise, or ro-ro ship.

Maritime Blue said the submission deadline for the proposals is 1 June at 3pm PDT.

Photo credit: Venti Views on Unsplash
Published: 29 May, 2026