Belgian shipping group CMB.TECH has completed its fifth suezmax disposal of 2026, selling the 2011-built, 165,000 dwt Stella and securing a $59.6m capital gain, Splash247 reported. The company, led by Alexander Saverys, said the vessel had been handed over to its new owner, with the gain due to be recognised in the fourth quarter.
Neither the buyer nor the transaction price was disclosed. Market sources cited by Splash247 put the consideration at no less than $80m. The outlet’s calculation from CMB.TECH’s accounts also indicates a net price near that level: Stella and Sienna together had a year-end 2025 carrying value of $32.9m. Sienna’s subsequent $41.9m sale, yielding a $29.2m gain, leaves an implied carrying value of about $20.2m for Stella before its disposal.
Separate market reports cited by Splash247 linked Stella to a one-year charter with Trafigura at approximately $120,000 a day after the sale. That reported employment provides context for the strength in secondhand tanker prices. Pricing platform VesselsValue lists the ship under the name Spitfire, with an unidentified Singaporean owner, and estimates its value at around $95m.
SEB analysts welcomed the transaction as further progress in CMB.TECH’s tanker disposal programme. The bank values Stella at about $85m and said a sale below that figure would have been unexpected, given firm secondhand prices and the premiums secured in earlier transactions. Stella follows Sienna, Brest, Brugge and Bristol, taking disclosed gains from this year’s five suezmax sales to roughly $246m.
The group has also sold nine VLCCs during 2026. According to Splash247, a six-vessel package produced gains of $261.1m, while Ingrid and Ilma contributed another $98.2m. Donoussa, built in 2016, is expected to generate $74.3m, bringing disclosed gains across the VLCC and suezmax disposals close to $680m, including Stella.
SEB expects further opportunistic crude tanker sales while asset values remain high. CMB.TECH now has five VLCCs and 14 suezmaxes remaining within an overall fleet of about 235 ships. Its declining crude tanker exposure accompanies a broader portfolio spanning dry bulk, chemical tankers, containerships and offshore vessels.