ADNOC Buys 11 Supertankers for $1.3 Billion to Expand Export Fleet

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), according to Oilprice.com on Friday, August 7, 2026 (16 Mordad 1405), said through its ADNOC Logistics and Services unit that it has acquired five Very Large Gas Carriers (VLGCs) and six Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) for a combined investment of about $1.3 billion. Nine of the vessels (six VLCCs and three VLGCs) were bought on the secondary market and are scheduled for delivery this quarter, entering ADNOC's fleet immediately; the remaining two VLGCs are newbuild vessels acquired through a resale transaction from a Chinese shipyard, with delivery planned for the fourth quarter of 2026.

According to the report, ADNOC Logistics and Services now owns more than 340 vessels and charters another 600. The United Arab Emirates has sought to work around Strait of Hormuz restrictions by moving some of its tankers through the strait in "dark mode" with transponders off, and by increasingly offering crude cargoes for loading at Fujairah and at Sohar in Oman, outside the strait.