en.Wedoany.com Reported - Anna Angelicoussis's Greek shipping company Alpha Bulkers has ordered 2 Capesize bulk carriers from a private Chinese shipbuilder.

Greek media reports, citing shipbroking and market sources, reveal that Alpha Bulkers has ordered 2 Capesize bulk carriers from Hengli Heavy Industry. It is reported that compared to other major Chinese shipyards, Hengli Heavy Industry currently offers more attractive delivery slots.

Specific details of the order have not been disclosed. Hengli Heavy Industry announced on April 30 that it had secured a total of 18 new ship orders in April, including 8 Capesize bulk carriers of 181,000 dwt. It is currently unknown whether these new vessels are included in that batch.

As a well-deserved "dark horse" in the shipbuilding industry, as of March 31, 2026, Hengli Heavy Industry held orders for 284 new vessels valued at $27.513 billion, covering mainstream ship types such as bulk carriers, container ships, and tankers. Orders for higher value-added container ships and tankers account for over 60%. Including the 18 new vessels signed in April 2026, Hengli Heavy Industry's current orderbook exceeds 300 vessels. Since the beginning of 2026, Hengli Heavy Industry's new ship order volume has already surpassed its order level for the entire year of 2025.

Due to strong market demand and a continuously rising orderbook, Hengli Heavy Industry's existing core berths, block fabrication workshops, assembly areas, and outfitting workshops, among other key production facilities, are all operating at sustained full capacity. Production scheduling for core berths has covered the next 3-4 years. Consequently, Hengli Heavy Industry's listed entity, Songfa Co., plans to raise 7 billion yuan for capacity expansion.

Hengli Heavy Industry currently has 10 berths capable of simultaneously building vessels under 200,000 dwt and 8 berths capable of simultaneously building vessels over 200,000 dwt. Typically, the berth occupancy cycle for each vessel is 3-4 months. If the fundraising project is implemented smoothly, the number of berths at Hengli Heavy Industry will increase to 22, including 10 berths for simultaneous construction of vessels under 200,000 dwt and 12 berths for simultaneous construction of vessels over 200,000 dwt.

Regarding the shipowner, Alpha Bulkers currently operates a fleet of 33 bulk carriers, 10 of which are Capesize and Newcastlemax bulk carriers. The company is currently renewing its Capesize fleet and recently sold the oldest Capesize bulk carrier in its fleet, the "Antonis Angelicoussis," which has since been renamed and is operated by its new owner.

Currently, the most recent deliveries of Capesize bulk carriers in Alpha Bulkers' fleet were in 2016, totaling 4 vessels. The remaining 11 bulk carriers of the same type were delivered between 2008 and 2011, making them relatively older in age.

In 2025, Alpha Bulkers attracted significant attention by initiating a newbuilding program for 11 container ships, marking the company's official entry into the container shipping sector. In the bulk carrier sector, the company's latest deliveries were 2 Ultramax bulk carriers that joined the fleet in 2025.

Looking at the overall market, new ship orders in the Capesize bulk carrier market have shown strong growth momentum in recent months, with Greek shipowners emerging as the main driving force behind the orders.

For example, international dry bulk shipowner Safe Bulkers recently purchased one 182,000 dwt bulk carrier from a Japanese shipyard and acquired three 82,000 dwt bulk carriers from the same Japanese yard to expand its Kamsarmax orderbook. Greek shipowners such as Enesel and Neda Maritime have also ordered Capesize bulk carriers from Hengli Heavy Industry.

Data from Xclusiv Shipbrokers shows that 26 Capesize/Newcastlemax bulk carriers were ordered in the first quarter of 2026, compared to only 13 in the same period last year. Of these, 12 were ordered by Greek shipowners, whereas Greek owners were almost absent from this market segment last year. As of the end of April, the orderbook-to-fleet ratio for Capesize bulk carriers (calculated by dwt) had approached 15%.

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