ESL Shipping and Sinotrans & CSC Shipbuilding Industry Corporation have agreed to assign the construction of ESL's two revolutionary LNG-fuelled bulk carriers to China's leading builder Jinling Shipyard. The two ice-class 1A vessels will be the first LNG-fuelled large bulk carriers in the world.

The shipowner said that CO2 emissions per ton of cargo transported will be reduced by over 50% compared with existing ships.

The two newbuildings will start operating in the Baltic Sea during the first half of 2018.

The two bulkers will be used to shift Scandinavian steel company SSAB's inbound raw material needs within the Baltic Sea and from the North Sea in a deal estimated to carry 6–7 million tons annually.