London-based Zodiac Maritime is stepping up its investment in crude tanker tonnage， ordering four suezmax newbuildings in China as it continues a broad fleet renewal programme across multiple shipping sectors.

The company has contracted the vessels at Jiangsu New Hantong Ship Heavy Industry， taking its suezmax orderbook to nine ships. The latest quartet is scheduled for delivery in 2029.

Financial details have not been disclosed， although brokers currently value comparable suezmax newbuildings at Chinese yards at around $89m per vessel， placing the potential value of the latest order at roughly $356m.

The deal marks the latest stage in Zodiac’s growing commitment to the suezmax segment， where the company is steadily building scale as part of a wider tanker fleet expansion strategy.

With the nine vessels on order， Zodiac’s suezmax fleet is expected to roughly double by the time the final ships are delivered later this decade.

The company has already been renewing its crude tanker fleet through newbuildings. Earlier this year it took delivery of its final Japanese-built suezmax， following the arrival of another vessel from Japanese yard in 2025.

The latest contract also bolsters Zodiac’s relationship with New Hantong， a yard that has become an increasingly important partner for the London owner. Zodiac previously booked a series of very large crude carriers at the Chinese builder， with shipbuilding databases indicating up to 10 VLCCs on order at the yard. The most recent VLCC contracts were priced at about $120m per ship.

Zodiac’s tanker fleet expansion forms part of a wider newbuilding programme spanning several shipping sectors. Including vessels under construction， the company now has around 80 tankers on order or in service across the crude， product， gas and chemical carrier trades.

The latest investment follows a series of recent shipbuilding moves by Eyal Ofer’s diversified owner beyond the tanker market. The owner recently added two 7，000 ceu LNG dual-fuel car carriers at China’s Yantai CIMC Raffles for delivery in 2028， further expanding its growing vehicle carrier business. In parallel， the company has entered the ammonia shipping segment through a series of ammonia carrier orders at South Korea’s Hanwha Ocean.