George Procopiou is pressing ahead with his tanker expansion， placing an order for nine suezmax newbuildings at China’s Hengli Shipbuilding.

According to a stock exchange filing by Songfa Ceramics， the parent company of Hengli Shipbuilding， Dynacom Tankers Management has secured nine of the ten 158，000 dwt crude carriers recently booked at the yard. The remaining vessel was taken by what the filing described as a well-known European shipowner. The wider batch of ten ships is valued at between $700m and $1bn.

The latest order further cements Dynacom’s growing presence at Hengli， which has become one of the core builders for the Athens-based owner. The suezmaxes are scheduled for delivery from the second half of 2028.

Greek owners were among the most active players in the suezmax segment during 2025， with Dynacom Tankers Management， Evalend Shipping， New Shipping and Centrofin Management all featuring prominently on the contracting side.

Dynacom has been particularly aggressive， ordering at least 14 suezmax newbuildings between late 2024 and mid-2025. These include six vessels contracted at New Times Shipbuilding in June last year， an earlier pair at the same yard， and four additional units at Samsung Heavy Industries.

Beyond suezmaxes， Procopiou has also been steadily building exposure to very large crude carriers. Market sources say Dynacom has secured more than 10 VLCCs at Hengli’s Dalian yard， underlining a long-term commitment to the builder.

Across the wider Procopiou group， fleet growth has remained brisk. Dynacom Tankers Management controls close to 70 tankers and has more than 50 vessels on order across Chinese yards， including New Times， Dalian and Hengli. On the dry bulk side， the group’s Sea Traders arm has also been active， recently booking 10 kamsarmax bulkers at Hengli.

Dynacom has additionally been linked to an order for up to 12 VLCCs at Hudong-Zhonghua， with deliveries slated for 2028 and prices reported at around $120m per vessel.

Hengli’s orderbook has also attracted other Greek owners. Minerva Marine has recently booked a pair of suezmax newbuildings at the yard， with a total contract value estimated at $160m to $200m， implying unit prices in the $80m to $100m range.