COSCO Shipping Bulk signs contract for new grain carriers in China
COSCO Shipping Bulk has signed a shipbuilding contract with Fujian Shipbuilding for 16 multipurpose grain carriers, each with a capacity of 87,000 tonnes, during a maritime industry event held in Fuzhou, China, on 17 October.
The agreement was announced during a conference marking the 160th anniversary of Fujian’s historic shipbuilding industry. The event brought together shipowners, financial leasing institutions, classification societies, ship designers and marine equipment suppliers.
The contract was signed with the participation of financial leasing institutions, including Yongying Financial Leasing, Zhejiang Bank Financial Leasing and ICBC Financial Leasing.
The announcement did not disclose the contract value, construction schedule or expected delivery dates of the vessels.
Shipbuilding agreement forms part of wider signing programme
The contract for the 16 grain carriers was among seven projects signed during the conference, covering new vessel construction and marine equipment procurement.
Fujian Shipbuilding also entered into cooperation agreements with equipment suppliers, including CSSC Power, Kongsberg and Japan’s Daihatsu.
The agreements cover key vessel systems, including main engines, azimuth propulsion equipment and auxiliary power generation systems.
The wider programme also included a contract for two firm and two optional 84-metre platform supply vessels, according to local reporting.
The agreements bring together shipbuilding, maritime financing and equipment suppliers as Fujian Shipbuilding expands its commercial activities.
Five vessel designs receive approval in principle
The conference also included the presentation of five Approval in Principle (AiP) certificates issued by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and China Classification Society (CCS).
ABS granted approvals to the Fujian Shipbuilding Marine Engineering Technology Research Institute for three designs: an 84.5-metre multipurpose platform supply vessel, a 12,000-horsepower anchor handling tug supply vessel and a 58-metre anchor handling tug supply vessel.
CCS issued approvals to the Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute for a 14,000 TEU containership design and a 41,000-tonne product tanker design.
Approval in Principle represents a preliminary assessment of a vessel design against applicable technical and regulatory requirements. It does not constitute final classification approval or confirmation of a shipbuilding order.
The design approvals and newly signed contracts were announced as Fujian Shipbuilding and its partners outlined further cooperation in ship construction, equipment supply and maritime technology development.
