Athens-based owner Monte Nero Maritime has been linked to an order for up to four MR2 product tanker newbuilds at Chinese repair and retrofit yard COSCO Shipping Heavy Industries (Guangdong).

Brokers in Greece have placed two firm 50，000 dwt newbuilds at $44m， with deliveries set for 2027， while the optional duo would join the fleet in 2028.

Monte Nero already has four MR2 newbuilding projects at Huanghai Shipbuilding in China booked in July for delivery in 2027. In addition to the MRs， the company has a trio of ultramax bulkers on order at Nantong Xiangyu Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering.

Meanwhile， COSCO Guangdong， better known for its ship repair know-how， has mostly built boxships， bulkers and livestock carriers in the past. Earlier this year， the yard sealed an order with Singapore’s Consort Bunkers for a series of four 7，999 dwt methanol bunker ships scheduled for delivery in 2026.