Seacon Shipping Group has moved deeper into the large bulker space, signing contracts for two 210,000 dwt newcastlemax newbuildings at Chinese state-run Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding.

The deal marks a step-up in the Hong Kong-listed owner’s dry bulk growth strategy, pushing beyond earlier exposure to large bulkers through secondhand purchases around 2020 and into purpose-built newcastlemax tonnage.

The two vessels will be built to Beihai’s fifth-generation newcastlemax design, developed by the China Ship Design & Research Center. Each ship will measure 300 m in length with a 50 m beam. The ships will be compliant with EEDI Phase III and IMO NOx Tier III standards, with propulsion efficiency claimed to be more than 6% higher than the previous generation.

The Beihai order comes as Seacon reshapes its wider newbuilding pipeline. The company recently agreed to take over contracts for six ultramax bulk carriers under construction at Nantong Xiangyu Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering.

Seacon’s move into newcastlemax newbuilds comes as Chinese owners and operators increasingly allocate capital to large bulkers, driven by expectations of longer-haul trades. The anticipated ramp-up of Guinea’s Simandou project is widely seen as a key factor reshaping tonne-mile demand, favouring larger, fuel-efficient bulkers.

Momentum in the segment was underlined in December when large bulker specialist Winning International Group ordered another six 325,000 dwt VLOCs at CSSC Beihai. The Singapore-based owner is expanding its WinningMax programme to eight ships to support its West Africa–China bauxite trades.