China's Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co (DSIC) has secured two newbuildings contracts from owners in Europe to build a series of 16,000-teu container ships and handysize laker bulkers.

An unnamed European company has commissioned DSIC to build six dual-fuelled 16,000-teu while Polish Steamship (PZM) is said to have signed up for four 37,000-dwt bulkers.

One DSIC manager confirmed the newbuilding contracts but declined to disclose the identity of the owner behind the containership order.

The LNG dual-fuel boxships will use WinGD's main engine equipped with the Intelligent Control by Exhaust Recycling system, the shipyard said.

The 16,000-teu newbuildings are the first dual-fuelled container ships for DSIC although the yard is building an LNG dual-fuelled VLCC.

The 319,000-dwt Yuan Rui Yang completed sea trails last year and is shortly to be delivered to Cosco Shipping Energy Transportation.

The latest container ship newbuildings will be built by DSIC and the reborn CSSC (Tianjin) Shipbuilding, the former Tianjin Xingang Shipbuilding Heavy Industry.

Tianjin Xingang was declared bankrupt in 2000 and underwent restructuring. It was taken over by DSIC in December.

The 37,000-dwt newbuildings will be built by DSIC's subsidiary shipyard Shanhaiguan Shipbuilding Industry.

The PZM newbuildings will be built to comply with Phase 3 standards of the Energy Efficiency Design Index and are due for in 2024.

The newbuilding price of the bulkers was not disclosed, but brokers suggest the ships will cost between $33m and $35m each.

DSIC is under the umbrella of state-yard group China State Shipbuilding Corp. It is poised to join the small coterie of international shipbuilders capable of constructing large LNG carriers.

In December, it inked a letter of intent with China Merchants Energy Shipping for one firm 175,000-cbm LNG ship with an option for a second. The official contract signing is due to take place this year.

DSIC has 28 newbuildings booked on its orderbook including nine LNG-ready 16,000-teu container ships and five VLCCs four ammonia-ready 7,100-teu boxships, according to Clarksons.