On August 27, Irish shipowner Ardmore Shipping announced that it had exercised an option with Wuhu Shipyard to firm up orders for two 40,500 DWT IMO Type II product/chemical tankers. This brings the total number of vessels of this type being built through the partnership to six, with deliveries scheduled to commence from late 2028 onwards.
In April 2026, Ardmore Shipping signed a contract with Wuhu Shipyard for the construction of an initial batch of two (plus two optional) 40,500 DWT IMO Type II product/chemical tankers, with a unit price of approximately $44.9 million. In June, the first two optional vessels were confirmed, and an additional order for two more vessels of the same type was placed with Wuhu Shipyard under identical terms; the two newly confirmed vessels are the optional vessels announced in June 2026.
Regarding the newbuilds, Ardmore Shipping stated that the terms for the optional vessels mirror those of the original order; based on the unit price of the initial batch, the total value of the six vessels is approximately $269.4 million.
Wuhu Shipyard noted that the vessels will feature an 8+1 cargo tank configuration, allowing for the simultaneous transport of eight different types of cargo, and will utilize MarineLine coating for the tanks to meet the requirements for carrying a wide range of chemicals.
According to its official website, Ardmore Shipping has been in operation since 2010 and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Specializing in the maritime transport of product oil, chemicals, and other liquid cargoes, the company currently operates a fleet of 24 product/chemical tankers with an average age of 9.8 years—making it one of the youngest fleets in the industry.
Fleet data indicates that all of Ardmore Shipping’s active vessels were built in South Korea (20 vessels) and Japan (4 vessels). This means that the project for six IMO Type II product/chemical tankers awarded to Wuhu Shipyard this year marks a departure from the European owner’s established practice of ordering such vessels exclusively from South Korean and Japanese shipyards, representing its first shift of newbuild projects to China.
Wuhu Shipyard currently operates three major shipbuilding bases: the Wuhu headquarters, the Weihai base, and the Nantong base. The Nantong base is a newly established facility where shipbuilding operations have recently commenced; it officially entered service on May 29, 2026, having transitioned from the construction phase to the production phase.