According to an announcement on Jiangsu Hantong Group’s official Weibo account on November 29, the company signed multiple new shipbuilding contracts in November with renowned shipowners from Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, and other countries, totaling 19 vessels. These new buildings are scheduled for delivery between 2028 and 2029.
The new vessels in this series include 82,000 DWT bulk carriers, 211,000 DWT bulk carriers, 4,500 TEU container ships and 319,000 DWT very large crude carriers (VLCCs), indicating a clear trend toward larger vessel types in Jiangsu Hantong Ship Heavy Industry’s order book.
Hantong Group announced that it secured multiple large orders in November, including firm orders and option orders, covering key vessel types such as large bulk carriers, container ships, and VLCCs. This series of achievements not only reflects the sustained growth in demand for newbuildings within the global shipping market but also underscores the comprehensive capabilities of Jiangsu Hantong Ship Heavy Industry in ship design, construction quality, and delivery cycles, which have earned the broad trust of major international shipowners.
Although Hantong Group has not disclosed further details such as the shipowners or order sizes for each shipbuilding contract, previous reports indicate that the owners of the 4,500 TEU container ships include Norway’s MPC Container (MPCC).
On November 14, MPCC announced it had signed a contract with Jiangsu Hantong Ship Heavy Industry for the construction of 4+2 4,500 TEU container ships, each valued at $58 million. Deliveries are scheduled to commence in the first half of 2028. Upon delivery, this series of container ships will provide a 10-year time charter service (including renewal options) to a leading global liner shipping company.
Additionally, Trafigura, one of the world’s largest metal and mineral traders, has reportedly placed an additional order with Jiangsu Hantong Ship Heavy Industry for two 319,000 DWT VLCCs. It remains unclear whether these two VLCCs are included in the latest series of orders announced by Hantong Group.
Notably, Trafigura’s collaboration with Jiangsu Hantong Ship Heavy Industry began with two VLCCs ordered in early 2024, followed by additional orders for six VLCCs placed with Jiangsu Hantong Ship Heavy Industry in June 2024 (three vessels), September 2024 (one vessel), and July 2025 (two vessels). With the latest two vessels, Trafigura’s total VLCC orders from Jiangsu Hantong Ship Heavy Industry now reach ten, making it the shipowner with the largest number of VLCCs ordered from the shipyard.