Two ships worth nearly 600 million! A century-old shipbuilder secures bulk carrier orders.

Recently, the Wuhu Shipyard successfully won the bid for the construction of two 82,000-ton Kamsarmax bulk carriers for Shanghai Ruining Shipping Co., Ltd.

This is part of Shanghai Ruining Shipping’s fleet expansion and renewal plan. According to the plan, two new vessels will be delivered in August and December 2028, respectively. Publicly available information shows that Wuhu Shipyard won the bid for this bulk carrier construction project with a bid price of 584 million RMB, defeating Yangzhou Longhe Shipbuilding and Qidong Xiangyu Hai Zhuang. The bid prices submitted by Yangzhou Longhe Shipbuilding and Qidong Xiangyu Hai Zhuang were both 590 million RMB.

For reference, according to Clarkson data, the current price of a newbuild bulk carrier with a deadweight tonnage of 82,000 to 84,000 tons is US$36.5 million (approximately RMB 253 million), slightly down from last year’s US$37 million.

Industry insiders pointed out that the unit price of the bulk carriers ordered this time by Shanghai Ruining Shipping is about 15% higher than the Clarkson reference price. This higher price includes taxes and other related costs.

It is understood that Shanghai Ruining Shipping Co., Ltd. is a shipping enterprise wholly owned by China Huaneng Group Corporation. Established on September 25, 2008, with a registered capital of 800 million RMB, the company primarily provides shipping-related services, including domestic waterway transportation, auxiliary international maritime transport services, and international ship transportation.

According to Clarkson data, the fleet under Shanghai Ruining Shipping currently comprises 3 Cape-size bulk carriers, 3 Ultra-Panamax bulk carriers, 3 Panamax bulk carriers, 10 Supramax bulk carriers with a deadweight of 53,000 tons, and 1 Handy-size bulk carrier with a deadweight of 33,000 tons.

It is understood that the Wuhu Shipyard originated from the Foji Heng Machinery Factory, founded in 1900, and boasts a history of 126 years. In 2007, Chery acquired the Wuhu Shipyard and, through asset restructuring and reform, transformed it into Wuhu Xinlian Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. In 2010, the company relocated to its new facility in Sanshan. Currently renamed Wuhu Shipyard Co., Ltd., it is now one of China's leading, modern shipbuilding enterprises.

As Anhui Province’s largest shipbuilding enterprise, Wuhu Shipyard is committed to the development and manufacture of intelligent and green vessels. In the commercial vessel sector, it has established five mature segments: liquid cargo ships, offshore engineering vessels, bulk carriers, special-purpose vessels, and multi-purpose vessels. Currently, Wuhu Shipyard comprises the Wuhu Shipyard headquarters, the Weihai Shipbuilding Base, the Anhui Haizhi Equipment Research Institute, Shanghai Haizhi Zhiyuan Technology Co., Ltd., Wuhu Fujiji Heng Machinery Co., Ltd., Yingxing Financial Leasing (Anhui) Co., Ltd., and San Dian Shui New Energy Technology Co., Ltd.

According to Clarkson’s data, including the latest order, the Wuhu Shipyard currently has a total of 120 vessels on hand, with a combined deadweight tonnage of 4.18 million tons. These include 69 chemical tankers, 22 bulk carriers, 15 multipurpose vessels, 5 container ships, 5 offshore support vessels, and 4 other types of vessels. Delivery schedules extend through 2029.