ADNOC Logistics & Services (ADNOC L&S) has acquired five very large gas carriers (VLGCs) and six very large crude carriers (VLCCs) for a combined investment of approximately Dh4.8bn ($1.3bn).
The company said the purchase will expand its gas and crude oil shipping capacity and support the ADNOC Group's integrated value chain, along with growth in production, trading and export volumes.
Nine of the ships, including the six VLCCs and three VLGCs, were bought on the secondary market and are scheduled for delivery in the third quarter of 2026 (Q3 2026). Those vessels will enter service with ADNOC immediately after delivery.
The remaining two VLGCs are new-builds acquired from a Chinese shipyard through a resale transaction, with delivery expected in Q4 2026. Once completed, the deals will take the company's VLCC fleet to 14 ships and the VLGC fleet to 12.
ADNOC L&S CEO Abdulkareem Al Masabi said: “This $1.3bn investment reflects the disciplined execution of our growth strategy and our commitment to building world-class maritime logistics capabilities for the energy sector.
“By adding 11 vessels, we are expanding our capacity to support ADNOC's growing exports, serve customers in key markets and capture opportunities in international energy trade. Our strong financial position and cash generation enable us to invest in growth and deliver sustainable shareholder value.”
According to the company, the transactions offer near-term operational and earnings potential while adding scale and flexibility to its shipping platform.
The acquisitions follow an order announced last month for four liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers of 175,000m³ each, valued at around $900m and due for delivery in 2029 from the Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai. That order took the company's LNG new-build programme to 18 vessels.
Including its 50% share of the AW Shipping new-build programme, a joint venture with Wanhua Chemical Group, ADNOC L&S has committed more than $5bn across 32 vessels since 2022, with nine delivered and 23 scheduled through 2029.
ADNOC L&S serves in excess of 100 customers in more than 50 countries. Its subsidiaries include Zakher Marine International, which it owns outright, and Navig8, in which it holds an 80% stake.
Earlier this week, ADNOC said it had rolled out an AI-enabled Real-Time Operations Centre (RTOC) platform, developed with SLB, across more than 120 rigs at its onshore and offshore assets. The system is used to monitor, analyse and manage drilling operations.
The company said the RTOC replaces several separate tools and cuts engineering effort by 30–40%, allowing engineers to cover two to three times more rigs.
Automated dashboards and AI-based performance insights shorten reporting cycles from several days to hours, according to ADNOC. It added that analysis of real-time rig data can flag potential problems early, reducing incident response times by 4–12 hours and avoiding one to two days of rig downtime.
