Centrofin Management, the Greek shipping company led by Dimitris Procopiou, has officially entered the container ship market by ordering two newbuilds from a private Chinese shipbuilder.
Shipbrokers and market sources report that Centrofin Management has signed a contract with Hengli Heavy Industries for the construction of two 6,000 TEU container ships, with delivery expected in 2028. The order was finalized earlier this summer.
Centrofin Management and Hengli Heavy Industries began their collaboration in 2024 with an order for six 82,000 DWT Kamsarmax bulk carriers, followed by an order for two additional vessels of the same type in 2025; all these newbuilds are scheduled for delivery in 2026. Including the most recently announced shipbuilding project, the two parties have a combined orderbook of ten new vessels across two ship types.
Hengli Heavy Industries’ 6,000 TEU-class container ships have garnered favor among numerous shipowners; leading companies—including Zhonggu Logistics, French liner giant CMA CGM, Greece’s Minerva Marine, and Singapore’s Eastern Pacific Shipping—have all commissioned the yard to build vessels of this specification. Since the beginning of the year, Hengli Heavy Industries has secured orders for dozens of these 6,000 TEU-class container ships.
Looking at the market as a whole, interest in newbuild container ships remains strong, despite the volume of orders having already hit a record high. Shipbroker MB Shipbrokers noted in its latest weekly report: “In terms of fundamental demand, there is a widespread strengthening of ordering interest across multiple segments—spanning the full spectrum from feeder vessels to ultra-large container ships.”
As for the shipowner, according to information on its official website, Centrofin Management is currently active in the tanker and bulk carrier markets, with a fleet totaling 56 vessels (including those under construction), comprising 30 tankers and 26 bulk carriers.
Based on the fleet list, Centrofin Management owns a total of 12 new vessels, consisting of four 156,850 DWT Suezmax oil tankers scheduled for delivery by Samsung Heavy Industries in 2028 and Kamsarmax bulk carriers scheduled for delivery by Hengli Heavy Industries in 2026. Of these, Samsung Heavy Industries has subcontracted the construction of all four Suezmax oil tankers to PaxOcean engineering Zhoushan.
Additionally, recent market reports indicate that the order for six 114,000 DWT LR2 tankers secured by Titan Wind Energy last month is linked to Centrofin Management; the contract is valued at approximately $420 million to $480 million, with staggered deliveries scheduled for 2028 and 2029.
Currently, Centrofin Management has not yet included the six LR2 tankers from Titan Wind Energy and the two container ships from Hengli Heavy Industries in its fleet data; however, if these eight new vessels are added, the company’s fleet size would increase to 64 ships.