COSCO Shipping Bulk orders ammonia/methanol-ready 210,000-DWT vessels from DSIC, expanding its clean-fuel fleet with options totaling fourteen ships by 2028.
COSCO Shipping Bulk, the bulk carrier subsidiary of China’s state-owned shipping powerhouse COSCO Shipping, is moving ahead with an ambitious fleet expansion strategy centered on next-generation, clean-fuel-ready vessels. The company has selected Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co. (DSIC), a major yard under the China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), to construct at least four advanced bulk carriers designed to accommodate future ammonia or methanol propulsion systems. According to information shared by Greece-based shipbroker Intermodal, the agreement includes an option for COSCO Shipping Bulk to order an additional ten vessels of the same class, potentially creating a sizeable newbuild program involving up to fourteen ships.
Each vessel will have a deadweight tonnage of approximately 210,000, positioning them among the larger bulk carrier types suited for long-haul transport of commodities such as iron ore, coal, and grain. Delivery of the initial batch is expected to begin in 2028, marking a long-term commitment by the company toward cleaner maritime operations.
Financially, COSCO Shipping Bulk is prepared to invest significantly in this modernization plan. Each ship in the initial order carries a price tag of around $77 million, bringing the combined value of the confirmed four-ship deal to about $308 million. If the company proceeds with the full fourteen-vessel program, the total investment could escalate to roughly $1.08 billion—one of the more notable bulk carrier newbuild packages in recent years.
A defining feature of this new class of bulkers is their readiness for alternative fuels. The vessels will be delivered with engines capable of conversion to operate on ammonia and/or methanol, two low- or zero-carbon fuels gaining increasing attention within the maritime sector as the industry pursues its decarbonization goals. By integrating flexible, future-proof propulsion technology, the ships are expected to help significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate pollutants such as sulfur oxides (SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and particulate matter (PM). This aligns with broader regulatory pressures and COSCO’s long-term sustainability agenda.
COSCO Shipping Bulk already manages an extensive fleet of about 500 ships, while its parent company commands a massive global fleet of more than 1,500 vessels across various shipping segments. The latest order continues a pattern of active investment in alternative-fuel-ready ships. Since late 2024, the company has placed firm orders for at least nine bulk carriers equipped for future ammonia and methanol retrofitting.
In December 2024, COSCO Shipping Bulk and Yangzhou COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry ordered three bulk carriers of 210,000 tons, with options for five more, scheduled for deployment between 2027 and 2028. This was followed by another order in May of the current year, when the company booked two additional vessels with Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding, another CSSC subsidiary.
Further expanding this trajectory, COSCO Shipping Bulk commissioned Qingdao Beihai again in August to construct four more ammonia/methanol-ready bulk carriers, with deliveries scheduled for 2027. Together, these moves signal COSCO’s steady and strategic commitment to building one of the world’s largest and most environmentally prepared bulk carrier fleets.
