Hantong Shipbuilding Heavy Industry has won the first order for four Ultramax bulk carriers from Lianghe Shipping

Recently, Agricore Shipping in Hong Kong placed an order with Jiangsu Hantong Shipbuilding Heavy Industry to build four 63500 deadweight ton bulk carriers.

It is reported that these new ships will be designed by Shanghai Shipbuilding Design Institute and comply with the International Maritime Organization Tier III emission standards. It is expected that the new ships will be delivered gradually from the second half of 2026 to 2027, with a cost of approximately $34 million to $35 million per ship, and a total transaction amount of approximately $140 million (approximately RMB 1.017 billion).
As a reference, Clarkson data shows that the current cost of a 61000-64500 deadweight ton Ultramax bulk carrier is approximately $34 million, a 3% increase from $33 million in the same period last year.

This is the second new shipbuilding project of Agricore Group since its establishment in 2016. Last June, the company placed an order with China Shipbuilding Corporation Chengxi to build two 82600 deadweight ton Kamsarmax bulk carriers, which are expected to be delivered in 2026.

It is understood that Hong Kong Lianghe Group was founded in 2016. It is a diversified group company with shipping as its main business, integrating fleet operation, ship management, comprehensive logistics, investment and financing, and bulk trade. Lianghe Shipping, a subsidiary of the company, undertakes the core business of the group, operating ship types including Cape of Good Hope, Panamax, and flexible bulk carriers. Its main routes cover major ports in Europe, America, Asia, and Australia. Currently, the company has become one of the most active international shipping providers in the industry.

The latest four ships of Lianghe Shipping will be built by Hantong Yingji Heavy Industry. In recent years, Hantong Yingji Heavy Industry has developed into an important base under Hantong Shipbuilding Heavy Industry for the construction of Ultramax bulk carriers. According to Clarkson's data, Hantong Shipbuilding Heavy Industries currently holds a total of 82 orders, including 70 bulk carriers, 9 crude oil tankers, and 3 finished oil tankers. Among them, 29 63500 ton bulk carriers are all built by Hantong Yingji Heavy Industries, while New Hantong Shipbuilding Heavy Industries is responsible for building the remaining 41 82000 deadweight ton Kamsarmax bulk carriers.

It is understood that Hantong Yingji Heavy Industry is affiliated with Hantong Group, and its main business is the manufacturing of high-end small and medium-sized LNG ships, stainless steel chemical ships, marine LNG tanks, offshore wind power foundation steel structures, booster stations, converter stations, and other ships and marine engineering equipment. The company covers an area of approximately 1.16 million square meters, with a deep shoreline of 1700 meters and an annual steel processing capacity of 200000 tons (stainless steel processing capacity of 30000 tons).

Hantong Shipbuilding Heavy Industry has rich experience in the field of bulk carrier construction. Up to now, it has undertaken about 40 orders for 63500 ton bulk carriers, with customers from Germany, South Korea, Türkiye, Croatia, Singapore and other countries and regions. In March of this year, Hantong Shipbuilding Heavy Industry just received the first bulk carrier order from Pioneer Logistics in Singapore, which will build six 63500 ton bulk carriers for it.