Ningbo Marine is preparing to add five new bulk carriers to its fleet in China, Splah 247 reports. The company plans to spend up to CNY980m on four ships and $36.5m on the fifth vessel.
The plan includes four 65,000 dwt bulkers for domestic routes and one 82,000 dwt kamsarmax for international trade. The company has not signed shipbuilding contracts yet and will choose Chinese shipyards through public tenders.
The five ships will add about 342,000 dwt to the fleet. They will join four 64,000 dwt bulkers ordered in 2024, bringing Ningbo Marine’s planned newbuild fleet to nine vessels and almost 600,000 dwt.
Ningbo Marine had 29 vessels with a total capacity of about 1.5m dwt at the end of June. The company has also been selling older ships as part of its fleet renewal programme.
The expansion comes as its shipping business grows. Cargo volumes increased 55.5% year on year to 39.2m tonnes in the first half of the year, while water transport revenue rose 82.4% to CNY1.69bn.
Ningbo Marine mainly carries coal and other dry bulk cargoes in China and also transports coal and ore from Australia, Indonesia and Southeast Asia. The company is part of state-owned Zhejiang Energy Group.
