Cosco Shipping Specialized Carriers has bumped up its growing fleet with one semi-submersible heavylift newbuilding.
The Guangzhou-headquartered shipping company has commissioned state-owned Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) to construct a 50,000-dwt vessel to be delivered during the first quarter of 2021. It is not known whether the deal includes any options.
A GSI executive confirmed the order but declined to disclose the price.
The order marks the second contract this year for Cosco Specialized Carriers, the former Guangzhou Ocean Shipping.
In March, it booked four 62,000-dwt wood-pulp carriers at Cosco Shipping Heavy Industries’ Dalian yard for delivery in 2021.
The newbuildings were options Cosco Specialized held at the yard when it signed up for five similar-size vessels late last year. Cosco Dalian is slated to deliver four ships in 2020 and one in February 2021. Cosco Specialized is paying $33.5m for each wood-pulp carrier.
Cosco Specialized also has two 2,200-ceu car carriers under construction at China Shipbuilding Industry Co (CSIC)-controlled Wuchang Shipbuilding, according to Clarksons.
The pair of newbuildings were ordered last year and are due for delivery in 2020.
Cosco Specialized is a unit of giant state-owned group Cosco, which controls multipurpose ships, heavylift vessels, car carriers, bitumen carriers and log carriers. It reportedly has a trading fleet of 112 vessels.
