US financial giant JP Morgan has been named as the owner behind Hanwha Ocean’s latest order for two VLCC newbuildings.

The South Korean yard disclosed a KRW394.3bn ($265m) contract with an unnamed North American owner， pricing the 320，000 dwt pair at about $132.5m each. Delivery is scheduled by the end of March 2030.

Shipbuilding sources have linked the deal to JP Morgan’s maritime investment platform. The latest order sees the bank’s VLCC newbuilding programme estimated at 10 ships across yards in China and South Korea， with total spending approaching $1.3bn.

Splash reported in April that a JP Morgan-backed outfit had booked two firm 307，000 dwt VLCCs at China’s Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co， with options for another two. The vessels were priced at around $123m each and lined up for delivery in 2029.

Entities backed by the Wall Street lender have also been building exposure to other shipping segments， with orders linked to JP Morgan interests covering LNG carriers， VLGCs and suezmax tankers.

Meanwhile， Hanwha Ocean has now secured orders for 27 vessels worth $4.61bn this year， including 17 VLCCs， six LNG carriers， three very large ammonia carriers and one wind turbine installation vessel.