Chinese and Polish state-owned shipping venture Chipolbrok has added to its orderbook as it enters bulk tramp shipping.
The company told TradeWinds it had contracted two more vessels in the 61,250-dwt multipurpose/heavylift Tai Xing class.
Chipolbrok has returned to Chengxi Shipyard, which delivered the previous six ships in the series in 2021 and 2022.
Delivery will be in 2025 and 2026.
The company is well known as a liner specialist for project cargo.
The focus was previously on break-bulk shipments.
“These XXL Ladies will primarily be used in global bulk transport on the spot market,” the company said.
Chipolbrok called the Tai Xing class a “paradigm shift”.
“While the focus was on cargo that doesn’t fit in containers, ie anything that is large, heavy and out-of-gauge, the focus is now for this type of bulk cargo in employments from areas poor in project parcels,” the owner said.
The ships will carry bulk cargo like fertilisers, minerals, steel and non-ferrous metal products and grain, plus wind power equipment.
Commercial success
“Given the commercial success that these six ships have already achieved, the decision was recently taken to order two more of this type from the previous builder, Chengxi Shipyard in China,” Chipolbrok added.
The Shanghai and Gydnia-based owner also has two 38,000-dwt ships on order at Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries in China, with two options.
This deal was revealed by TradeWinds in August, marking a return to newbuildings for Chipolbrok after four years.
The price of these units was not disclosed, but one broker suggested they are costing around $49m each.
They are scheduled to deliver in 2026.
Chipolbrok celebrated its 73rd anniversary in June.
It is said to be the first Sino-foreign joint venture to be formed by the People’s Republic of China.
The company started with four secondhand vessels and today it has a fleet of 33 ships, with a capacity of more than 1.2m dwt.
