Hong Kong-listed Seacon Shipping is pressing ahead with fleet expansion plans having signed a fresh deal for two 40,000 dwt bulker newbuilds at Japan-based shipbuilder Namura.
The Qingdao-based company is paying nearly $67m for the duo to be delivered from Namura’s Imari shipyard between August 1, 2025, and October 31, 2025.
The latest order has marked the company’s seventh newbuild project since its $52m listing in March this year, including two 62,000 dwt multipurpose dry cargo vessels at Huanghai Shipbuilding, one 13,500 dwt general cargo ship at Murakami Hide Shipbuilding and a pair of handysize bulk carriers at Tsuneishi Shipbuilding.
The acquisition of the vessels is in line with the ongoing strategy of the group to optimise its vessel fleet by gradually phasing out older controlled vessels and replacing them with newer vessels and expanding controlled vessel fleet, Seacon said in a filing.
Together with other ships under construction in China and Japan, the company’s fleet is expected to increase from 24 units at the end of June to 35 by the end of 2025, boosting carrying capacity from 1.3m dwt to 1.8m dwt.
