Contract awardTransport and logistics
Bahri orders three 320,000-tonne crude carriers from Saudi shipyard IMI
The approximately SAR1.692 billion contract adds three VLCC newbuilds to Bahri’s Saudi orderbook, with deliveries scheduled in phases between 2029 and 2030.
- Event
- First published on EPC Feed
- Sources
- 3 listed below
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- 2 min
International Maritime Industries (IMI) signed a contract with Bahri to build three very large crude carriers (VLCCs), the Saudi Press Agency reported on 25 October. The contract is worth approximately SAR1.692 billion. Each vessel is specified at 320,000 deadweight tonnes and will include energy-efficiency technologies; deliveries are scheduled between 2029 and 2030. The announcement was made on the sidelines of the Saudi Maritime and Logistics Congress. It does not give vessel-by-vessel delivery dates or the shipbuilding start date.
The three stated deadweight ratings total 960,000 tonnes, a simple sum of the per-vessel design figures. Deadweight is a carrying-capacity measure, not a stated volume of crude oil. The announcement supplies no propulsion system, fuel type, emissions target or expected fuel savings, so the energy-efficiency features cannot be translated into a quantified operating or emissions benefit. It also gives no cost breakdown, payment schedule, financing plan or project milestone beyond the delivery window.
IMI says the vessels will support Bahri’s future requirements and Saudi shipbuilding localisation. Bahri describes fleet modernisation as a long-term strategy and says the agreement expands cooperation with IMI. Bahri’s 2025 annual report provides a dated baseline: its oil unit operated 50 VLCCs with 15.58 million deadweight tonnes at year-end 2025. That is historical fleet context only; the report does not establish the fleet currently in service or specify planned retirements before these newbuilds arrive.
The VLCC order follows Bahri’s October 2025 order for six geared Ultramax dry-bulk carriers from IMI. Bahri’s release said those vessels would be built at the Ras Al-Khair shipyard. They are a separate order and vessel class from the crude carriers. The current SPA report says IMI is headquartered at Ras Al-Khair and describes shipyard capabilities that are planned for when the facility is fully operational; those future annual capacities are not current production figures or deliverables under this contract.
The contract announcement establishes the buyer, builder, vessel count and size, approximate total value and delivery years. It does not disclose a named naval architect, detailed technical specification, construction sequence or commissioning plan. The published schedule extends construction deliveries over several years, but the sources do not say when the ships will enter commercial service or how the new capacity will change Bahri’s operating fleet.
Sources
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