Yangzijiang Maritime Development has signed a Chinese newbuilding contract for up to six 82,000 dwt kamsarmax bulk carriers at Jiangsu Watts Energy & Engineering, according to Chinese shipbuilding sources.

The Singapore-listed, Ren Yuanlin-led maritime investment group has committed to four firm vessels with options for two more. No pricing has surfaced for the series. The order marks Yangzijiang Maritime's first reported deal at Watts, a Qidong-based yard that only recently moved into conventional merchant ship construction.

What does the deal signal for the yard?

Watts secured its first kamsarmax contract in August from Xiamen-based Amoysailing Maritime, covering four 82,000 dwt vessels for delivery in 2028. That contract was estimated at around $35m to $38m per vessel for standard specifications.

The Yangzijiang Maritime order gives the newcomer a second high-profile dry bulk customer within months. For a yard building its merchant track record, a repeat-scale client with an options structure offers a path to filling slots through the 2028-2029 delivery window.

Where does this fit in Yangzijiang's fleet plan?

The kamsarmax series extends an aggressive ordering run across multiple shipping segments. In September, the company formally disclosed 24 firm newbuilding contracts plus 16 options spread across five vessel types:

• six 64,500 dwt ultramaxes
• six MR product and chemical tankers
• eight stainless steel chemical tankers
• four VLCCs

That programme lifted its disclosed newbuilding portfolio to 98 vessels: 75 firm ships under construction, 16 options and seven vessels already delivered.

The kamsarmax deal is a separate move into larger dry bulk tonnage rather than an additional disclosure under the previously announced ultramax programme.

Why smaller Chinese yards?

Yangzijiang Maritime has increasingly turned to smaller Chinese yards to secure competitively priced newbuildings. The group combines its shipbuilding investments with chartering, leasing and pre-delivery vessel sales — a model that lets it monetise ordering positions before ships even hit the water.

The strategy also shows in tankers. Its reported programme at Jiangsu Haifeng Shipbuilding now covers six firm and two optional 114,000 dwt LR2s.

For dry bulk owners and operators, the deal adds further kamsarmax capacity to a Chinese orderbook pipeline that continues to attract tonnage even at yards outside the established majors — a trend that will shape fleet supply and asset values in the segment through the end of the decade.