Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp. has revealed the acquisition on December 19 of four units of ultramax bulk carriers on behalf of subsidiary Kuang Ming Shipping Corp.

According to a stock exchange filing, the order covers two ultramaxes at Nihon Shipyard Co., Ltd and Imabari Shipbuilding Co., Ltd, at a price of NTD1,234,000,000 to NTD1,360,000,000 per unit and another two ultramax bulkers at Oshima Shipbuilding in cooperation with Sumisho Marine Co., Ltd at a price of NTD1,227,000,000 to NTD1,355,000,000 per unit.

The dates of deliveries of the units were not disclosed in the filing.

Kuang Ming, a subsidiary of the Yang Ming Group, is engaged in the bulk shipping business. The company operates a fleet consisting of six panamax bulk carriers and four handymax bulk carriers, in addition to one long-term chartered capesize vessel, according to data published on October 16 from Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp. on its website.

At the time, the company said that through fleet modernization and the adoption of high-efficiency vessel designs, Kuang Ming aims to enhance its core charter operations and overall operational performance.