Erasmus Shipinvest Group, a well-known Greek shipping company, has returned to a Chinese shipyard to order new vessels, placing an order for eight bulk carriers with Jiangsu New Hantong Ship Heavy Industry Co., Ltd. (NHT).
According to TradeWinds, Erasmus Shipinvest has placed an order with NHT for four 82,000 DWT Kamsarmax bulk carriers.
Sources revealed that the four new vessels ordered are part of the option for a 4+4-vessel order for 82,000 DWT Kamsarmax bulk carriers signed by Erasmus Shipinvest and NHT in March 2026. The construction cost was not disclosed, but shipbrokers estimate it to be approximately $37 million.
Thus, the number for this class of ships, built jointly by the two parties, has doubled to eight, with a total cost of approximately $296 million; delivery is expected between 2028 and 2029.
This investment is reportedly the latest move in Erasmus Shipinvest’s fleet renewal strategy. Since approximately 50% of the shipowner’s Kamsarmax-class bulk carriers are over 15 years old, the company must accelerate investment in newbuilds to continue providing high-quality service to its customers.
At present, the exact size of Erasmus Shipinvest’s medium-sized bulk carrier fleet remains unclear, but sources estimate that the fleet likely consists of fewer than 10 vessels. According to Clarksons data, the shipowner operates six bulk carriers with deadweight tonnage ranging from 76,000 to 95,400 deadweight tons.
It is worth noting that Erasmus Shipinvest, an internationally renowned ship management and operating company, had previously been keen on ordering newbuilds from Japanese shipyards. The first batch of four Kamsarmax bulk carriers ordered from NHT several months ago marked the shipowner’s first order placed with a Chinese shipyard.
Including this latest order, Erasmus Shipinvest has placed orders for a total of 16+6 new vessels with Chinese shipyards since March 2026. Aside from the 8 bulk carriers, the remaining 8+6 vessels are feeder container ships, consisting of 4+4 1,800-TEU container ships from Huangpu Wenchong and 4+2 2,400-TEU container ships from Sanfu Shipbuilding.