The secondhand tanker market has delivered yet another exceptionally active week， with VLCCs once again drawing strong interest from buyers. One noticeable shift is the tightening availability of modern VLCCs， following Sinokor’s aggressive move to secure tonnage over the past eight weeks.

Market sources tell Splash that a five-year-old Chinese-owned VLCC， CSSC Liaoning—built by Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Corp—has been sold to Greek interests for around $112m. The deal is understood to include a time charter paying $41，000 per day until May.

Earlier sales chatter is also circulating around two four-year-old VLCCs built by Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries， said to have changed hands within Europe at $125m each.

As a result of Sinokor’s buying spree， VLCC values have soared over the past month， increasing across all age categories. For example， VesselsValue data shows 15-year-old vessels of 310，000 dwt have increased by 17.96% month-on-month from $52.85m to $70.27m.

Firm freight markets and changing crude trade routes continue to buoy tanker demand， with Frontline chief executive Lars Barstad revealing on Monday one-year time charters for seven VLCCs at an average rate of $76，900 per day. “We are in unprecedented times， and these are charter-out levels not seen for decades，” Barstad commented.