Hong Kong-listed Secon Shipping is growing its dry bulk fleet with an ultramax newbuilding at Tsuneishi Zhoushan Shipbuilding.
The Qingdao-based owner and operator is paying $38.34m to see the Tsuneishi-controlled Chinese yard, in which Yangzijiang Shipbuilding also holds a 34% stake, deliver the 63,300 dwt vessel in April 2027.
Seacon said the move is in line with its ongoing strategy to optimise and expand the fleet by gradually phasing out older controlled ships and replacing them with younger tonnage.
The newbuild will have a higher operational and fuel consumption efficiency, which meets the latest environmental regulations, the company added.
Seacon has ordered bulkers at Tsuneishi Zhoushan in the past, signing up for kamsarmax and handysize newbuildings in 2021 and 2023, respectively. The group controls more than 25 bulk carriers on the water, but it also has a diversified orderbook of nearly 40 self-owned, bareboat chartered and joint venture vessels.