Taiwan Navigation has ordered a pair of ultramax bulkers as part of its fleet renewal.
It has struck a deal with Japan’s Oshima Shipbuilding for the 64,000-dwt pair, for delivery in 2028.
A Taiwan Navigation official confirmed the order.
The Taipei-based company said the conventionally fuelled bulk carriers will not cost more than $78m, or $39m each.
They will be built to the International Maritime Organization’s Tier III NOx standards and meet Energy Efficiency Design Index Phase 3 compliance for greenhouse gas emissions.
This is the second newbuilding deal that Taiwan Navigation has signed this year.
In January, it ordered two 40,000-dwt handysizes at Namura Shipbuilding at $32.3m each. The pair, to be constructed at Hakodate Docks, are scheduled to be delivered in 2026.
Taiwan Navigation has been building ships at Oshima for a long time. This year, it took delivery of two 64,600-dwt ultramax newbuildings — the Tai Steadiness and Tai Sentry — from the shipyard.
It ordered the duo in 2022 for around $34m each. VesselsValue shows their market value to be between $41m and $42.25m each now.
As part of its fleet renewal, Taiwan Navigation entered the sale-and-purchase market this year to sell one ultramax and one supramax.
The Shin Kasado Dockyard-built 61,500-dwt Tai Shine (built 2012) was sold for $21.8m and the Oshima-built, 55,400-dwt Tai Hunter (built 2007) for $14.6m.
A Hong Kong company known as Lilas International Shipping bought the Tai Shine and renamed it Lilas Calm. China-based bulker owner Amoysailing acquired the Tai Hunter, which it now trades as Sea Hunter.
Taiwan Navigation, which is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange, focuses on handysize to kamsarmax bulker segments. It also owns two handysize product carriers and a small tanker.
Its current fleet consists of nine kamarmaxes, 10 ultramaxes and two handies.
The company also owns a 9,300-gt ropax built in 2023 that it uses on a domestic service to outlying islands.
