Taipei-based Wisdom Marine Group has returned to Japan with an order for four handysize bulk carriers split evenly between Imabari Shipbuilding and Namura Shipbuilding.
The 40,000-dwt vessels were said to be costing Wisdom up to $116m in total.
The quartet is scheduled for delivery in 2023 and 2024.
A Wisdom executive said the vessels in this latest round of ordering were part of the company’s fleet renewal programme that is designed to prepare it for future environmental requirements.
The bulker owner said it was paying less than $29m per ship.
The vessels will comply with the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI)’s Phase 3 standards, which become mandatory for bulker newbuildings in 2025.
The order brings Wisdom’s spending on newbuildings this year to over $210m.
Last month, the company signed up for three 82,300-dwt kamsarmax bulk carriers at Tsuneishi Group (Zhoushan) Shipbuilding in China worth $102m in total.
The 82,300-dwt vessels will also comply with the EEDI Phase 3 and the International Maritime Organization's NOx Tier III standards. Tsuneishi is scheduled to deliver the trio in 2023.
Shipbuilding players said Wisdom was keen to order more new ships with ultramax bulkers being the next ship type on its agenda.
The Wisdom executive TradeWinds spoke with said the company was constantly reviewing its fleet with an eye to replacing old vessels. He said the size of future vessels ordered would depend on “the market’s requirements and what shipyards are able to offer”.
“Currently, not all shipyards are able to offer newbuildings that meet future shipping’s environmental requirements,” the executive added. “We also need to consider the delivery dates for the vessels.”
Wisdom’s website shows it has a fleet of 137 vessels including two LPG carriers.
The company is also due to take delivery of three handysize bulker newbuildings and two kamsarmax bulker newbuildings next year.
Imabari Shipbuilding is building one 37,800-dwt handysize bulker, while Onomichi Dockyard is building two 37,000-dwt vessels. The 82,300-dwt kamsarmaxes are under construction at Tsuneishi.
On the sale-and-purchase front, Wisdom has sold seven older vessels. The company has a target to trim 20 older ships from its fleet this year.
