Germany’s Reederei Nord is stepping into the large bulker segment with an order for up to four newcastlemax vessels at Wuhu Shipyard.

The Hamburg-based owner has contracted two firm 211，000 dwt newbuilds， with options for two more， according to multiple brokers. Deliveries are slated for 2028 and 2029; however， financial details have not been disclosed.

The ships will be the largest in Reederei Nord’s fleet to date. The owner， founded in 1964 by Klaus E. Oldendorff， has traditionally focused on smaller bulkers alongside tankers and feeder boxships. The company’s current fleet stands at nearly 30 ships， including handysize to ultramax bulkers.

Market sources indicate that employment has already been lined up for the new vessels.

For Wuhu， the order adds to a growing list of contracts across multiple segments as the yard scales up its capabilities. The Anhui-based builder has been steadily moving into larger vessel classes following its move to lease drydock capacity at the former Jiangsu Rongsheng Heavy Industries site in Nantong. The facility， once China’s largest private shipyard before its collapse in 2014， is now enabling Wuhu to construct ships above 100，000 dwt， including newcastlemax bulkers and VLCCs.

The yard has been active in recent months， securing bulker orders linked to commodity trader Mercuria and tanker work from Germany’s Ernst Russ， alongside interest from other owners looking at large-tonnage projects at the revived site.

Brokers have also tied UK-based Union Maritime and Greece’s Navios Maritime to potential newcastlemax newbuilding programmes at Wuhu， pointing to growing momentum as the yard positions itself in the upper end of the market.