Swiss commodities trader Mercuria is continuing its move deeper into shipownership with an order for four kamsarmax bulk carriers at Wuhu Shipyard.

The 82,000 dwt newbuildings will be tied into Mercuria’s global logistics system, marking another step away from its long-standing reliance on chartered tonnage toward a more asset-backed shipping model.

For years, Mercuria has operated with limited direct ownership, instead securing freight through long-term charters. The group controls around 40 vessels, but recent activity shows a push to lock in capacity through owned ships across both dry bulk and tanker segments.

The Geneva-based trader — founded by Marco Dunand and Daniel Jaeggi — has been linked in recent months to a string of newbuilding deals in China, spanning newcastlemax bulkers as well as aframax/LR2, suezmax and VLCC tanker segments.

The four bulkers are another building block in a steadily expanding fleet with an orderbook of now roughly 20 newbuilds.

Wuhu Shipyard, for its part, continues to pick up momentum across different ship types. The yard has recently secured ultramax work from new entrants such as Turkey’s Aqmaris, while also landing tanker construction through deals with Germany’s Ernst Russ for intermediate-class chemical and product carriers