Supramax bulker specialist Chinaland Shipping has moved into the capesize business.
The Chinese company disclosed that it has made its debut in the segment with two Shanghai Waigaoqiao-built ships — the 174,400-dwt China Peace and Lila Cochin (both built 2005).
They joined its fleet this month and have been renamed ChinaFrie Happiness and ChinaFrie Luck, respectively.
Chinaland said it is expanding into the capesize segment to shore up its presence in the international market.
The two bulkers were previously owned by Taiwan’s Chinese Maritime Transport (CMT) and Lila Global.
VesselsValue shows that Dubai-based Lila Global sold the Lila Cochin in August for $18.2m and CMT sold the China Peace for $20m in September.
Clarksons’ Shipping Intelligence Network lists Chinaland as having a fleet of 12 vessels, including the ChinaFrie Happiness and ChinaFrie Luck, but a company official denied this, saying the pair are chartered on a long-term basis.
One shipping source said Chinaland is a steel parcelling operator and a shipowner. It is headquartered in Shanghai and has offices in Singapore and South Korea.
According to its website, Chinaland was founded in 2001. It controls more than 50 bulk and general vessels totalling 3m dwt.
The company claims it is one of the top breakbulk cargo operators in the world, with its vessels trading across regions including the Far East, Middle East Gulf, Red Sea, Mediterranean, Europe, the US and Africa. Its annual transport capacity is about 10m tonnes.
On the newbuilding front, it ordered four 62,000-dwt ultramax bulk carriers at Huanghai Shipbuilding in June this year and is scheduled to take delivery of one vessel in 2025 and the rest in 2026.
