Japanese shipowner Shinomiya Tanker has reportedly commissioned three compatriot yards for five handysize bulker newbuildings.

The Tokushima-based company has placed a single 40,000 dwt vessel at Naikai Zosen, with two additional ships each ordered from Imabari Shipbuilding and Hakodate Dockyard at $33m apiece.

The first ship, linked by brokers to a charter deal with Denmark’s Lauritzen Bulkers, was quietly ordered earlier and is due for 2025 delivery, although details surfaced only recently.

The remaining four bulkers are set for delivery in 2027 and will enter into charter contracts involving South Korea’s HMM and companies based in the United Arab Emirates and the UK.

Founded in 1968, Shinomiya Tanker currently lists 10 vessels on its website, four of which are bulkers. The company counts Gearbulk, Centurion Bulk, Tomini Shipping, Union Maritime, Iino Gas Transport and MSC among some of the charterers of its tonnage.