After containerships, the Chinese shipping company Cosco is now ordering no fewer than 42 new bulk carriers.
The total value of the vessel order exceeds RMB 14.3bn (US$2bn). The newbuildings will be delivered between 2026 and 2027. According to Cosco, this is the largest shipbuilding and leasing transaction since the company was transformed into a shipping and finance company in 2016.
Half of the bulkers will be built by Cosco Shipping Heavy Industry and half by CSSC Chengxi. Five 64,000-tonne vessels, two 82,000-tonne vessels and thirty-five 80,000-tonne vessels will be ordered. Once completed, they will be leased to Cosco Shipping Bulk on a long-term basis.
Cosco focuses on “green” designs
The vessels are “green”, environmentally friendly and resource-saving designs. Some of the newbuildings are designed to be methanol-ready. Cosco’s fleet currently comprises more than 140 ships in container, bulker and MPP shipping. The company has just ordered large container ships.
