Wah Kwong orders LR2s at Hengli Heavy
Clarksons Research is reporting Hong Kong shipowner Wah Kwong Maritime Transport Holdings has ordered four 113,500 dwt LR2 tankers at Hengli Heavy Industry in northeast China. No price has been revealed for the contract with the ships delivering in 2027 and 2028. The ship type is a new one for Wah Kwong.
Hengli Group, a private oil player in China, which acquired STX Dalian two years ago, now rebranded Hengli Heavy Industry, has detailed plans to up the yard’s annual shipbuilding capacity to 7.1m tons, more than twice its current output.
While the yard has predominantly focused on kamsarmax bulk carriers since its revival top management has said it will now also target VLCCs, VLGCs, large containerships, FPSOs, and high-value-added offshore engineering equipment
STX Dalian was one of the largest shipyards in the world in terms of area space when it was founded in 2006. It went bankrupt in 2014 due to a financial crisis at its parent in South Korea leaving over 20,000 employees out of work.