In order to continue expanding its fleet, Taiwan Province shipowner Chinese Maritime Transport Ltd (CMT) has once again placed an order for two Newcastlemax bulk carriers at a shipyard in Taiwan, China.
Last August, Chinese Maritime Transport signed an order with CSBC Corporation, Taiwan for 2+2 210,000 dwt Newcastlemax bulk carriers. Recently, Chinese Maritime Transport has updated its fleet list to show that it has entered into force 2 option vessels with CSBC Corporation, Taiwan, bringing the order to 4 vessels.
This batch of orders is the first Newcastlemax bulk carrier order received by CSBC Corporation, Taiwan in last six years. According to industry sources, the new vessels are equipped with scrubbers, with a unit price of approximately US$77.5 million and a total price of US$310 million for the four vessels, which are expected to be delivered between 2026 and 2027.
Founded in Shanghai in 1946 and relocated to Taiwan in 1949, Chinese Maritime Transport owns and operates a fleet of 13 bulk carriers through its Singapore and Hong Kong subsidiaries. The last time the shipowner ordered new vessels was in 2021, with four 210,000 dwt bulk carriers being built for it by Beihai Shipbuilding, which have been completed and delivered between 2023 and 2024 respectively.