Hengli Heavy Industries continues its momentum in securing orders in the Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) market.
Trading Winds reported that on November 4, Venergy Maritime, a subsidiary of Greek shipowner Vyron Vasileiadis, exercised an option with Hengli Heavy Industries to finalize the construction of two 306,000 DWT VLCCs. The construction cost has not yet been disclosed.
In late October, market reports emerged that Venergy Maritime had signed a contract with Hengli Heavy Industry for the construction of 2+2 306,000 DWT VLCCs. The two optional vessels included in that order have now been confirmed, and all four newbuilds are scheduled for delivery in 2029. These four newbuilds also mark Venergy Maritime’s first entry into the VLCC market.
Regarding the additional order, Vyron Vasileiadis stated: “This decision to exercise the shipbuilding option demonstrates the company’s confidence in Hengli Heavy Industries’ shipbuilding capabilities… Our experience working with Hengli Heavy Industries has given us the confidence to place an additional order for two VLCCs. We are very pleased with our partnership with Hengli Heavy Industries; we have already collaborated on other newbuilding projects and have established a solid working relationship.”
It is understood that the partnership between Venergy Maritime and Hengli Heavy Industries began in June 2026. At that time, the two parties signed a contract for the construction of 2+2 158,000 DWT Suezmax tankers, with the two optional vessels confirmed as effective in September. Including the four VLCCs already under construction, the total number of vessels to be built under the partnership between Venergy Maritime and Hengli Heavy Industries has increased to eight across the two vessel types.
With the disclosure of its latest orders, Venergy Maritime has secured orders for 26 new vessels across various market segments—including VLCCs, Suezmax tankers, LR2 product tankers, and MR2 product tankers—over the past year. In addition to diversifying its presence in the tanker market, Venergy Maritime entered the container ship market in 2025 by establishing OceanV Maritime. Since December 2025, it has placed cumulative orders for eight “Honghu”-class 1,900 TEU feeder container ships with Huangpu Wenchong Shipyard.
So far this year, Hengli Heavy Industries has continued to accelerate its pace of securing VLCC orders, having publicly announced more than 70 VLCC orders this year. It is the shipbuilder that has secured the most VLCC orders this year, and its VLCC order backlog ranks first globally.
In terms of overall orders, data from shipbroker Banchero Costa shows that from January through September 2026, Hengli Heavy Industries secured a total of 276 new ship orders, accounting for 23.4% of the global order volume for 2026 in terms of adjusted gross tonnage; As of the end of September, Hengli Heavy Industries’ order backlog had increased to 485 vessels, accounting for 11.2% of the total order backlog held by shipyards worldwide, ranking it first among single-shipyard operators globally.
To date, Hengli Heavy Industries has received cumulative orders for more than 600 vessels, with delivery schedules extending through 2031. Its order book covers the full spectrum of “bulk, general cargo, oil, and gas” vessels, with high-value-added vessel types—such as oil tankers, container ships, and gas carriers—accounting for more than 70 percent of the total.
To date, Hengli Heavy Industries has received orders for more than 600 vessels, with delivery schedules extending through 2031. Its order book covers the full spectrum of “bulk, general cargo, oil, and gas” vessels, with high-value-added vessel types—such as oil tankers, container ships, and gas carriers—accounting for more than 70 percent of the total.