In a note to clientsthe Coupeville, Washington-based shipbroker said New York-listed HOS sold the3,000-hp Spartan Service(built 1978) to Mexico’s MarinoilServicios Maritimos.
The unit, which will be reflagged locally andrenamed Champayan, was one ofnine ocean-going tugs and nine ocean-going barges HOS acquired from affiliates ofAmerada Hess back in 2001.
Marcon failed to tie a price tag to thetransaction but sources linked to the tug and barge sector say similar "top tier" unitscould fetch between $1 and $2m in today’s market, a range that reflects how buyers arebecoming increasingly hard to come by.
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