China’s COSCO Shipping Bulk has moved to blur the traditional lines between dry bulk and liner shipping， ordering a series of container-capable newcastlemax bulk carriers in a deal that underlines how cargo flexibility is becoming a strategic asset.

The COSCO Shipping Group subsidiary has signed contracts with CSSC Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding for three 210，000 dwt bulk carriers featuring methanol- and ammonia-ready designs and the ability to carry containers alongside bulk and general cargo.

The vessels have been designed by the Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute (SDARI) and will be classed by China Classification Society. At nearly 300 m in length and with a 50 m beam， the ships retain full newcastlemax dimensions while adding container intake to what has traditionally been a pure bulk carrier segment.

The contract was signed by COSCO Shipping Bulk together with CSSC Beihai Shipbuilding， CSSC Trading and Zheshang Financial Leasing， reflecting the scale and financial backing behind the project.

The design marks a step-change for the 210，000 dwt platform， long a flagship product for Beihai Shipbuilding， which has built a dominant position in the global newcastlemax market and continues to lead in orders for the vessel type. The yard recently secured further contracts from Seacon Shipping Group， reinforcing its grip on the segment.

For COSCO， the deal is part of a broader push to expand and modernise its newcastlemax fleet. The group has also been linked as end operator to four 210，000-dwt newbuildings at Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co， marking its second newcastlemax ordering wave of 2025. Earlier in the year， COSCO approved orders for ten similar units at COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry Zhoushan and CSSC Qingdao Beihai， with deliveries due by the end of 2028.

While container intake on bulk carriers may once have looked like a niche feature， the concept has clear precedent. During the pandemic’s distorted freight markets， cargoes migrated across vessel classes in ways rarely seen before. Containers were loaded onto bulk carriers， logs were shipped on newcastlemaxes， and even cars found their way onto pulp carriers. In 2022， Star Bulk became one of the first cape owners to secure class approval to carry containers， while Swire Bulk and others actively moved boxes on dry bulk tonnage. With liner capacity scarce and charter markets tight， owners adapted stowage plans to chase high-paying cargo — a lesson in flexibility that COSCO now appears to be baking directly into its newbuild designs.