Low-key shipowner Union Maritime is being linked to the purchase of one of the four Premuda-managed MR2 product tankers being circulated for sale, plus two product tankers from Germany's Carl Buttner.
Union shareholders have also emerged behind the purchase of a Taiwanese supramax bulker.
Some sources said that the actual buyer of the Premuda-managed MR2, the 50,200-dwt Grazia (built 2010), was Greece's Spring Marine.
The vessel is controlled by affiliated financier Finav, backed by US private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts.
TradeWinds reported in September that the Grazia was one of four on the sales block along with the 50,900-dwt sisterships PS Houston, PS London and PS Milano (all built 2008).
VesselsValue and IHS Markit now report the Grazia as sold at a price of $14.9m or $15m, and the former source links it to Union. Spring Marine, which may be the actual buyer of the vessel, has some of the same investors as Union.
Premuda and Finav executives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Another Union acquisition has taken German tanker owner Carl Buttner out of the small-tonnage bracket.
The 15,160-dwt Bondi (ex-Lemonia) and 15,203-dwt BDP Spirit (both built 2009) are both now recorded by IHS as operated and managed by entities affiliated with Union, and as owned by special purpose vehicles called Duxton Partners and Balmoral Partners.
Documents on file with the UK's Companies House in Cardiff confirm that the Bondi is now owned by a subsidiary of Union, and link Balmoral Partners to Tokyo ship finance specialist Maritime Investment Partners.
No prices are recorded on the Bondi and BDP Spirit but VesselsValue estimates their worth at respectively $8.26m and $8.2m.
Thorsten Mackenthun-led Carl Buttner did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But according to his company's website, its fleet consists exclusively of 38,000-dwt ships trading mostly in Europe and the Mediterranean and 24,000-dwt ships trading worldwide in a commercial cooperation with Ardmore Shipping.
Meanwhile, a supramax bulker reported sold in September can now be linked to Union.
Broker reports listed the 58,800-dwt Virono Pride (built 2009) as sold in September by Taiwanese bulker owner Hsin Chien Marine to "unknown Turkish owners". Hsin Chien sold five bulkers of handysize to ultramax class to Tufton Oceanic at about the same time.
The ship's new name hints at a connection to ship manager Virono Union, a joint venture of Union and affiliates of Greek shipbroking firm Cass Technava. Documents with the UK's Companies House confirm the connection and also show Swiss-Greek billionaire Aristotelis Mistikadis as a holder of between 25% and 50% of shares in the ship.
Union, jointly controlled by London's Cadji and Kansagra families with Laurent Cadji as chief executive, has roots in the tanker trades in West Africa, where the Kansagras have extensive fuel distribution interests. In 2020, however, the company took on two LPG carriers and this year it has made a rapid move into bulkers with the backing of new shareholder Mistakidis.
The group of shipowning, ship management and ship operating companies connected with Union are owned by different combinations of shareholders including the two founding families plus interests associated with Cass Technava, ex-Glencore trader Mistakidis and US private equity manager Darren Maupin of the Pelerin Global fund.
An official of Union did not respond to a request for comment on this story.
This story has been amended to reflect that some sources have linked the purchase of the tanker Grazia to Greece's Spring Marine.
