Recently, Hengli Heavy Industries announced that it has successfully signed contracts with new and old customers, including Greek shipowner CAPITAL, AEGEAN BULK, and Norwegian shipowner UTHALDEN, securing orders for a total of 8 new buildings, including 2 LR2 product tankers, 5 Kamsarmax bulk carriers and 1 180,000 DWT Capesize bulk carrier.
Hengli Group stated that the new shipbuilding orders signed this time include both repeat purchases from long-term cooperative customers and first-time contracts from new customers, demonstrating the company’s mature system for the mass production of various types of vessels, including container ships, bulk carriers, oil tankers, and gas carriers.
At the beginning of this month, Hengli Heavy Industries’ listed entity *ST Songfa announced via a public notice that its subsidiary Hengli Shipbuilding had signed a contract for the construction of one 180,000 DWT Capesize bulk carrier. The total contract value is approximately US$70 million to US$100 million, with delivery expected in the fourth quarter of 2027.
Since December, according to incomplete statistics, Hengli Heavy Industries has secured orders for 16 new vessels. In addition to the aforementioned 8 vessels across 3 types, this includes LR2 product tanker orders from the Greek “twin giants”—Minerva Marine and Laskaridis Maritime—with order volumes of 6 and 2 vessels respectively. This marks Minerva Marine’s first collaboration with Hengli Heavy Industries, while Laskaridis Maritime’s latest contract represents a renewed partnership following the October agreement for two Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs).
Hengli Heavy Industries stated that the LR2 product tanker, as the mainstay vessel type in the international product oil transportation market, boasts advantages such as large cargo capacity, strong port accessibility, and high operational efficiency. It is widely deployed on major routes including the Middle East, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. This new series of vessels incorporates the latest green and eco-friendly design concepts to meet IMO Tier I emission standards, combining low energy consumption, high safety, and excellent operational performance, aligning with the global shipping industry’s green transition trend.
Capesize bulk carriers are the core vessel type in the international dry bulk shipping market, possessing significant advantages in scale (180,000 deadweight tons per vessel), strong endurance, and superior economics. Hengli Heavy Industries’ design of this vessel type deeply integrates route versatility and cargo adaptability, enabling efficient compatibility with the loading and unloading facilities of major global bulk cargo ports, and fully meeting the transoceanic trunk line transportation needs of dry bulk cargoes such as iron ore and coal.
Since September, Hengli Heavy Industries has secured a series of new orders in the new shipbuilding market, covering multiple vessel types including container ships, bulk carriers and oil tankers. Its order backlog now extends through 2029. Concurrently, leveraging its robust industrial chain advantages, Hengli Heavy Industries has achieved independent manufacturing capabilities for core components such as marine main engines. This strong delivery assurance has become a key factor in clients’ selection decisions.