Sumitomo Heavy Industries is said to have signed a newbuilding contract to build one eco-friendly aframax tanker with a foreign shipowner this month.
The modern eco-design tanker consumes 10-15% less fuel compared to Sumitomo's existing ship design.
The newbuilding is to be delivered in the latter half of 2014.
The Japanese shipbuilder has now resumed contracting newbuilding aframax tanker since its last aframax order intake in March 2011.
The shipyard appears to have contracted aframax order since yen-denominated prices and profitability are expected to improve due to protracted weaker yen situation.