#EcoTankerNewbuilds - d'Amico International Shipping S.A., an international marine transportation company which has a subsidiary based in Ireland since 2001, has announced the launch of two additional MR "ECO" vessels built at Hyundai Vinashin Shipyard Co Ltd. in Vietnam.

The newbuild pair will join the DIS product tanker market, as the first vessel, MT High Sun (Hull n. S408, 50,000 dwt) was launched and delivered in March last year to Eco Tankers Ltd. (Malta), a joint venture with Venice Shipping and Logistics S.p.A., in which DIS has 33% interest.

The second vessel, MT High Fidelity (Hull n. S409, 50,000 dwt) was too ordered last year and was expected to be delivered to d'Amico Tankers Limited (Ireland) in the third quarter of 2014.

Both vessels are already fixed in time charter to a leading Oil Refining Company for a period of respectively three and two years at very profitable levels.

The above two newbuilding vessels are the latest IMO II MR design with the highest fuel efficiency. The design is the utmost HMD concept of hull shape and propulsion efficiency leading to a fuel saving of 6-7 T/day compare to the average consumption of world existing MR fleet.

The vessels will have an attained Energy Design Index (EEDI) falling already well within the IMO phase-in 3 requirement due for vessels to be built after Jan 1st , 2025, being of 31.5% lower than the current IMO reference line.

d'Amico Tankers Limited fleet includes 38.8 double-hull product tankers (MR and Handysize) with an average age of about 5.8 years (of which 20.3 owned vessels and 18.5 chartered-in vessels), including 4.3 'Eco design' newbuilding vessels delivered in the first half of 2014.

They currently have a total of 11 new 'Eco design' product tanker shipbuilding contracts, which include 7 MR and 4 Handysize vessels, at Hyundai Mipo Dockyard Co. Ltd.