Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding—a subsidiary of CSSC—has once again won the favor of Greek shipowners, adding new order for Suezmax tankers to its orderbook.
According to shipbroking and market sources, Greek shipowner Chandris (Hellas) has joined the surge in Suezmax tanker orders witnessed over recent months, signing a contract with Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding for two 157,000 DWT Suezmax tankers. Given that Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding’s recent order price for Suezmax tankers stands at approximately $82 million, the total value of this latest two-vessel order exceeds $160 million.
Including the latest orders, Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding has secured contracts for 6+2 Suezmax tankers this month. This entire batch of new vessels was commissioned by Greek shipowners; in addition to Chandris (Hellas), the orders include two 158,000 DWT Suezmax tankers for Performance Shipping—priced at $81.5 million per vessel and scheduled for delivery in October 2028 and May 2029—as well as 2+2 158,000 DWT Suezmax tankers for Venergy Maritime, priced at approximately $82 million per vessel and scheduled for delivery in 2029 and 2030.
This year, China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) has been particularly active in securing tanker orders. Excluding the Suezmax tankers secured by Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding, and based on incomplete statistics, Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (DSIC) has signed contracts for two LR2 product tankers with Monaco-based Scorpio Tankers, one hybrid shuttle tanker with AET (a subsidiary of Malaysia’s MISC Group), and an order for 2+2 product/crude oil tankers with Switzerland’s Mercuria. Meanwhile, Guangzhou Shipyard International has signed contracts for two vessels with Germany’s Leonhardt & Blumberg, ten vessels with Greece’s Central, and two vessels with a subsidiary of COSCO Shipping Energy—all of which are MR-typ product tankers.
It is understood that this Suezmax tanker shipbuilding project marks not the first collaboration between Chandris (Hellas) and CSSC. On February 4, 2026, Guangzhou Shipyard International delivered the “Astrea”—the first vessel in a series of 111,000 DWT LNG dual-fuel Aframax tankers—to the Greek shipowner; the second vessel in the series is scheduled for delivery in 2027, with the shipbuilding contract having been signed in late 2023.
In terms of newbuilds, Chandris (Hellas) also holds an order for one 320,000 DWT Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC), being built by Hanwha Ocean; scheduled for delivery later in 2026, the shipbuilding contract was signed in 2024.
According to information on its official website, Chandris (Hellas) currently operates an active fleet comprising 10 tankers, built between 2009 and 2026. An analysis of the fleet structure reveals that the company currently operates only one Suezmax tanker—built in 2009—indicating a need to modernize its fleet within this specific vessel category.