Maersk Tankers takes over Team Tankers International's commercial management of 27 tankers, and is setting up two new pools, the company said in a statement.

The partnership will lead to strategies for both businesses. Team Tankers International will gain exposure to the new commercial management strategy of Maersk Tankers, with its clear focus on minimizing CO2 emissions and increasing the returns of partners.

The agreement will expand its fleet under control to more than 225 vessels across a number of different markets for Maersk Tankers, thus cementing the position as one of the industry leaders in the Medium-Range (MR) sector, where it operates a pool jointly with Cargill.

As part of the deal, staff within Operations, Chartering and Bunker Management will move from Team Tankers International to the Copenhagen, Houston and Singapore offices of Maersk Tankers.

Of the 27 tankers, nine are 13,000-tonners, four are Flexis (25,000 DWT) and four are MR (46-49,000 DWT) tankers.

Cooperation will begin on 1 April 2020 and the vessels are expected to join the pool during the months that follow.

Maritime Business World