Norwegian shipowner Uthalden Maritime Management (hereinafter referred to as Uthalden), led by Harald Moræus-Hanssen, is deepening its cooperation with Chinese shipyards and has placed orders for multiple new vessels with two shipyards.
Placed an order with Hengli Heavy Industries for two types of four new vessels
On December 29, 2025, *ST Songfa, the listed entity of China’s emerging private shipbuilding giant Hengli Heavy Industries, announced via a public notice that its shipbuilding subsidiary had signed a contract with a renowned European shipowner for the construction of one 158,000 DWT Suezmax oil tanker. The vessel is valued at approximately $80 million to $100 million and is scheduled for delivery in the first quarter of 2029.
The new vessels feature high deadweight capacity, low fuel consumption, and outstanding environmental performance, aligning with the latest international design concepts for crude oil carriers and meeting current environmental regulations. Although the shipbuilder has not disclosed specific details about the shipowner, information from shipbrokers and market sources indicates the order originates from Norway’s Uthalden.
In addition to the oil tanker orders, Uthalden’s official fleet data indicates that Hengli Heavy Industries will also construct three 82,000 DWT Kamsarmax bulk carriers for the company. These vessels are scheduled for delivery in 2026 (one vessel) and 2027 (two vessels), with the newbuild designations MV TBN I, MV TBN II, and MV TBN III.
Although Hengli Heavy Industries’ order for three bulk carriers from Uthalden had not been previously announced, the company had disclosed around November 2025 that it had signed contracts with three prominent European shipowners for the construction of ten Kamsarmax bulk carriers.
According to market sources, four of the vessels are from Greece’s Star Bulk, with the shipowner’s order including two optioned vessels. The newbuilds are specified at 85,000 deadweight tons. Three vessels are from Greece’s Oceanbulk Maritime, with the newbuilds specified at 82,000 deadweight tons. At present, the remaining three vessels are highly likely to be ordered by Uthalden.
Placed an order for four bulk carriers with Jiangsu Hantong Ship Heavy Industry
According to fleet data from Uthalden’s official website, the company has also ordered four 63,500 DWT Ultramax bulk carriers from Jiangsu Hantong Ship Heavy Industry Co., Ltd (HT). These vessels are scheduled for delivery in 2027 (two vessels) and 2028 (two vessels), with newbuilding designations JSHT351, JSHT352, JSHT369, and JSHT370.
Notably, Uthalden and HT have collaborated on multiple occasions in the bulk carrier and oil tanker segments. Examples include the delivery of the 82,000 DWT bulk carrier SCION MATHILDA and the 114,000 DWT oil tanker MH HIGHLANDER in 2024; and the handover of the 63,500 DWT bulk carriers MH LANGOEY and Horda, as well as the 114,000 DWT oil tanker MH GLADIATOR in 2025.
Establish a joint venture with MPCC to order container ships
Regarding container ships, Uthalden has established a 50/50 joint venture with Norwegian container ship owner MPC Container Ships (MPCC) to jointly own two 4,500 TEU container ships. The new vessels are under construction at Taizhou Sanfu Shipbuilding and are scheduled for delivery in 2028.
It is reported that on July 18, 2025, MPCC announced an order for four 4,500 TEU container ships from Sanfu Shipbuilding, with a total value of $228 million. The two vessels currently under construction held by the aforementioned joint venture are part of this order and are wholly owned by MPCC. Upon delivery, they will be chartered to one of the world’s top five liner shipping companies.
According to its official website, Uthalden is wholly owned by Harald Moræus-Hanssen and primarily invests in publicly traded securities and private companies within the shipping, offshore, and oilfield services sectors, as well as related assets. Its subsidiary, Uthalden Maritime Management AS, actively participates in overseeing technical and commercial matters throughout the entire process of asset acquisition, management, and disposal, while also handling day-to-day operational management.
Uthalden currently operates a diversified fleet covering various vessel types, including tankers, bulk carriers, container ships, car carriers, drilling vessels, and offshore engineering vessels.