Belgium's CLdN Cobelfret has emerged as the name behind an order at Hyundai Mipo Dockyard (HMD) for up to four ro-ro newbuildings.
Industry sources said the European shortsea shipping specialist has signed up for two firm vessels plus a pair of optional ships to be built at the South Korean shipyard, but the capacity of the newbuildings has not been disclosed.
Officials at HMD declined to confirm the identity of the shipowner behind the order, citing contract confidentiality.
“We believe CLdN is the company behind the ro-ro newbuildings that HMD announced,” one shipbuilding player said.
Last week, HMD told investors that it received a contract worth KRW 163.2bn ($138.9m). The order is for two vessels with delivery by 2022. HMD did not disclose any further details of the contract but said the newbuildings were the company’s first ro-ro contract this year.
Industry sources think CLdN’s ro-ro newbuildings at HMD are to replace the two 5,500-lane-metre vessels (Hull Nos 531 and 532) that it cancelled at Croatia’s struggling Uljanik Group.
Uljanik is going through bankruptcy proceedings and the shipyard is unable to deliver vessels in accordance with the stipulations of the shipbuilding contract that the yard entered into with buyers.
The last time CLdN signed up for ro-ro newbuildings at HMD was two years ago. The company contracted the South Korean shipyard to build a pair of LNG-ready, 5,400-lane-metre vessels for close to $60m each. HMD is set to deliver the first vessel next month and the second ship in October.
According to Clarksons’ Shipping Intelligence Network, CLdN has a fleet of 27 ro-ros in operation. Seven of them are more than 20 years old.
HMD has well over 100 ships on its orderbook and is now around one-third of the way to meeting its $3.53bn order target for 2019. Sun Enterprises, Yasa Shipping, JP Morgan and Tristar Shipping are some of the companies that have recently signed up for newbuildings at the South Korean yard.
