Carlova Maritime has ordered two 114,000 dwt aframax tankers at Imabari Shipbuilding, the Greek owner's first newbuilding contracts in Japan since it emerged from the break-up of Samos Steamship. The order lifts Carlova's disclosed orderbook to six vessels across three countries.

The company's updated fleet list shows deliveries scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2029 and the first quarter of 2030. Contract prices have not been disclosed.

Japanese shipbuilding sources said Imabari and Japan Shipyard have secured the pair, with part of the hull construction to be carried out at Sumitomo Heavy Industries' Yokosuka facility. Imabari is understood to be outsourcing unusually large "mega-blocks" rather than standard hull sections for the project — a structural choice that signals how Japanese yards are pooling capacity to hold delivery slots in a crowded tanker newbuilding market.

Why does Japan matter for Carlova?

The deal is a return to familiar territory for the Inglessis shipping interests. Anthony Inglessis-led Carlova counts a trading fleet that remains heavily Japanese-built, including the 2025-built aframax Phaedra and the 2023-built Penelope, both delivered by Sumitomo.

Since its launch, however, the owner has deliberately spread its newbuilding exposure across three shipbuilding nations:

• Two 300,000 dwt VLCCs at Hanwha Ocean in South Korea, the second added in April
• One 114,000 dwt aframax plus an 82,000 dwt kamsarmax at Hengli Heavy Industries in China
• The two new 114,000 dwt aframaxes at Imabari in Japan

That geographic split reduces reliance on any single yard group and gives the owner scheduling flexibility at a time when tanker slots at top-tier builders are extending toward the end of the decade — as Carlova's own 2029–2030 delivery windows confirm.

What does the orderbook signal?

The six-ship programme spans crude, products-adjacent and dry cargo tonnage. For a mid-sized Greek owner rebuilding after the Samos Steamship split, the pace of contracting — a VLCC, an aframax and a kamsarmax added within months — points to a fleet strategy anchored in long-cycle asset replacement rather than opportunistic spot purchases.

For Japanese builders, the Carlova business is a reminder that they remain competitive for quality Greek tanker tonnage even as Korean and Chinese yards absorb the bulk of tanker ordering. The Sumitomo Yokosuka involvement in hull construction also shows how work-sharing arrangements between Japanese yards are becoming a practical route to securing orders.

With the aframax pair not arriving until late 2029 and early 2030, Carlova's immediate trading capacity stays unchanged — but its orderbook now covers deliveries spread across three yards and three countries, positioning the owner to renew tonnage well into the next decade as the tanker order cycle matures.