Croatian bulk carrier owner and operator Atlantska Plovidba has signed a contract with Jiangsu New Hantong Ship Heavy Industry Co., Ltd (NHT) for the construction of two 63,500 dwt bulk carriers, which are expected to be delivered in 2026, with a total order value of about $65 million (approximately RMB 467 million). The new bulk carriers are designed to meet IMO Tier III and EEDI Phase 3 requirements.
The official website shows that Atlantska Plovidba has a fleet of 10 vessels with an average age of 12 years. It is about 64% owned by another Croatian diversified shipowner, Tankerska Plovidba.
It is worth noting that the above order is not the first time for Atlantska Plovidba to place a shipbuilding order with NHT. The cooperation between the two parties started in 2021, when NHT built four Kamsarmaxe bulk carriers for Atlantska Plovidba at a price of $34.3 million per vessel.
To date, NHT has delivered two Kamsarmaxe bulk carriers, one of which was resold for $37.6 million, while the other, the AP Dubrovnik, remains in the Atlantska Plovidba fleet and has a 10-year charter agreement with a Chinese charterer.
It is understood that this is the second order NHT has made public this week. On Wednesday (Feb. 28), NHT announced that it has signed a contract with Trafigura, one of the world’s largest metals and minerals traders, for the construction of two 319,000 dwt Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs), which are expected to be delivered in the third quarter of 2026.