Japan’s Lepta Shipping has returned to Yangzijiang Shipbuilding for another pair of kamsarmax bulker newbuildings.
Lepta, a joint venture between Nissen Kaiun and trading house Mitsui & Co, has struck a deal with the Singapore-listed yard for two 82,500-dwt vessels.
Some sources claim that Lepta inked the contract some time ago, but the news of the deal has only now emerged in the market.
Yangzijiang joint-venture shipyard Jiangsu Yangzi-Mitsui Shipbuilding (Yamic) will construct the vessels. It is scheduled to deliver them during the first half of 2026.
Shipbuilding pundits think the early delivery date in 2026 was probably the reason that Lepta ordered the ships.
The price of the conventionally fuelled bulkers remains unknown.
This latest order brings the total number of kamsarmaxes that Lepta has on order at Yamic to 14.
The earlier 12 vessels were ordered in 2023 for a reported price of close to $37m apiece. They are slated for delivery between 2026 and the end of 2027.
Although conventionally fuelled, these newbuildings will be fitted with scrubbers and built to the International Maritime Organization’s Tier III NOx standards and meet Energy Efficiency Design Index Phase 3 compliance for greenhouse gas emissions. They will be classed by ClassNK.
Officials at Yangzijiang declined to comment on the latest order, citing contract confidentiality.
Lepta does not comment on its commercial activities.
Clarksons’ Shipping Intelligence Network shows that Lepta has a total of 36 newbuildings on order. These comprise two 8,000-teu container ships, six 66,000-dwt bulkers, two MR tankers, six LPG carriers, three sub-panamax boxships, three handysize bulkers and the series of kamsarmaxes.
A reputed Chinese shipyard, Yangzijiang saw an increase in its revenue for the financial year 2023 despite delivering fewer ships.
The shipbuilder delivered 56 vessels in 2023 versus 67 in 2022, but its revenue increased by 16.5% to CNY 24.1bn ($334.7m) over the same period in 2022.
Earnings rose by 57% to CNY 4.1bn against the previous year’s CNY 2.6bn.
The improved earning results were due to the construction of larger, higher-value ships and favourable exchange rates.
Yangzijiang has so far inked 12 newbuildings worth $1.35bn so far this year. The orders include six methanol dual-fuel 13,000-teu container ships from Ocean Network Express.
The shipbuilding group built up an orderbook of 182 newbuildings worth $14.5bn as of the end of last year.
