On March 19th, the construction of No.5 82,000DWT bulk cargo carrier built by Xingang Shipbuilding Heavy Industry Company Limited (hereinafter called “XGSIC”) for China Development Bank Leasing was to go to sea for testing in the following 5 days.

Chinese owner Shanghai Huayuan Shipping has placed an order at Yangzijiang Shipbuilding for the construction of two 53,000 DWT bulk carriers.

The construction of the ships will start in October this year and the ships will be deployed for domestic coastal shipping services. Financial details of the contract were not disclosed.

Shanghai Huayuan Shipping is the shipping unit of Jiangsu Huayuan Logistics and it mainly offers domestic coastal and river bulk shipping services. The company currently owns a fleet of six bulk carriers.

On March 14, 2020, No.3 325,000 DWT Ore Carrier launched successfully from NTS drydock with the help of a tugboat.

Chinese leasing house Bank of Communications Financial Leasing (BoComm Leasing) has officially placed orders for a total of twelve 120,000 DWT LR2 tankers at two Chinese yards for long-term charters to Shell.

The company has ordered eight tankers at Guangzhou Shipyard International and another four at Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding. The price for the LNG dual-fuel vessels is $54m each, and the vessels will all be chartered to Shell under a 15-year arrangement after delivery in 2022.

BoComm Leasing currently owns a fleet of nearly 180 vessels with another 19 on order.

Tiger Group Investments, via subsidiary Greathorse Tiger, has gone to a favoured yard, Yangzijiang in China, to order two firm LNG-fuelled 14,000 TEU ships plus six options. The firm ships start to deliver from May 2022 with the options spreading into 2023.

Belgian tanker owner Euronav has agreed to the acquisition of a resale VLCC newbuilding.

The tanker, which will be fitted with a scrubber and ballast water treatment system, is under construction at DSME in South Korea.

The purchase price for the vessel is $93m, and the vessel is due for delivery early in the first quarter of 2021. It is a sister ship of the three VLCCs acquired by Euronav last month, with all the four vessels originally ordered by South Korea’s Sinokor.

Singapore’s Eastern Pacific Shipping has signed a shipbuilding contract with Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding for the construction of two 158,000 DWT Suezmax tankers.

The two vessels are expected to be delivered in 2022. The value of the contract has not been disclosed.

The contract follows Eastern Pacific placing an order at South Korean yard Dae Sun for four 50,000 DWT product tankers in February.

The company also has another two 210,000 DWT newcastlemax bulk carriers under construction at Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding.

Eastern Pacific Shipping owns a fleet of around 120 vessels.

On February 28, Jiangsu New Yangzi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. delivered the fifth 62000DWT general cargo ship "UROPHYLLA" for South Korean shipowner Pan Ocean successfully. The remaining four ships are DUNNII, GRANDIS, ROBUSTA and SALIGNA respectively.

Chinese state-run shipping conglomerate Cosco has placed an order at Chongqing Chuandong Shipbuilding Industry for the construction of two 13,800 DWT chemical tankers.

The delivery of the vessels are scheduled in 2021, and the total value of the contract is around RMB400m ($60m).

The ships will be join the fleet of Cosco Shipping Shanghai, a specialized chemical shipping and logistics unit of Cosco.

The orderbook of Chongqing Chuandong had dried up prior to the signing of the new contract, and these new vessels will be the largest vessels the shipyard has ever built.

Singapore’s Eastern Pacific Shipping has placed an order at South Korean yard Dae Sun Shipbuilding for the construction of four 50,000 DWT product tankers as part of its major ongoing fleet expansion.

Shipbroking house Clarksons reported that the first two ships are scheduled for delivery in August and November of 2021, while the other two will be delivered in 2022. The price of the newbuilds was not disclosed.

Eastern Pacific Shipping owns a fleet of 120 vessels and has another 30 newbuilds under construction.