In a crescendo of orders for ship refits is Giorgos Prokopiou, who has signed a contract for four bulk carriers plus two with options on behalf of his group’s shipping arm Sea Traders.

The ships, which, will be built at Sainty Shipbuilding’s yards, have a carrying capacity of 63,500 dwt and will be delivered in 2026 and 2027. It is estimated that each ship will cost $33 million (about $30 million).

The group’s newbuilding program exceeds the 70-ship mark, including the very large crude oil carriers-VLCC, suezmaxes long-range suezmaxes, long-range product carriers and liquefied natural gas carriers, along with an order book for bulk carriers that now stands at 30 units.

George Prokopiou’s goal is to renew the group’s fleet for the next 20 years in each arm, namely LNG, tankers and dry bulk.

The average age of the fleet managed by the group is currently around 12 years.

George Prokopiou says he is currently not considering adding new ships, due to the uncertainty prevailing in the global landscape and the speed at which it is changing.