Petroineos has commissioned Maritima, a subsidiary of the Sogestran Group, to build two new bunker vessels for operations in the Fos, Marseille, and Toulon areas of southern France.

Scheduled for delivery in early 2028, the vessels will replace the current fleet comprising Florence B, Tatiana B, and Cap Pinede. Each will have a cargo capacity of 4,500 cbm and will be capable of carrying three different products simultaneously.

They will also be certified for oil and chemical transport, enabling them to handle marine diesel, all types of fuel oils, and low-carbon fuels, including B24, B100, hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), and e-methanol.

The vessels' design is said to have been developed to optimise access to the Petroineos refinery jetties in Lavera. They will feature diesel-electric propulsion powered by three electronically managed generator sets that adjust consumption to operational needs.

The propulsion system includes two electric azimuth thrusters at the stern and a bow tunnel thruster for manoeuvrability. The vessels will also be equipped with shore power connection capabilities and state-of-the-art mass flow meters for quantity delivery monitoring.

China Merchants Industry Yangzhou Dingheng Shipyard was selected for construction following a nearly two-year tendering process. The shipyard, located on the Yangtze River approximately 250 kilometers from Shanghai, specializes in vessels for oil and chemical product transport.

Steel cutting for the first vessel is scheduled for November 2026, with launch planned for 2027. Deltamarin Shanghai will serve as designer, while SMC will provide construction supervision and Bureau Veritas will serve as the classification society.