EPS Names Three LNG Dual-Fuel Newcastlemax Bulk Carriers

Three Newcastlemax Vessels Named at Chinese Yard

Singapore-based Eastern Pacific Shipping (EPS) has named three of its new LNG dual-fuel Newcastlemax bulk carriers at Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding in China. According to a report by Ship & Bunker, the vessels — Mount Victoria, Mount Yulong and Mount Wuyi — are each rated at 210,000 DWT and represent the third, fourth and fifth ships in a 14-vessel Newcastlemax series being constructed at the yard.

EPS CEO Cyril Ducau confirmed the naming in a LinkedIn post, noting that all three ships were delivered five months ahead of their contracted schedules.

Project Backers and Charter Arrangement

The newbuilding programme involves CSSC Group and Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding, with financing support provided by Sinosure, OCBC and China Exim Bank. Once in service, the three vessels will be chartered to Shourong Shipping, a unit of Shougang Group.

The wider 14-ship series underlines a continued push among major bulk carrier operators toward dual-fuel propulsion as owners look to align newbuild orders with tightening emissions expectations across the dry bulk trade.

LNG Fleet Continues to Expand

Classification society DNV data cited in the report puts the current global LNG-fuelled fleet at 942 vessels. That total includes 251 container ships, 154 car carriers and 73 bulk carriers, indicating that while LNG dual-fuel adoption has been most concentrated in boxship and car carrier segments, bulk carriers are becoming a growing share of the alternative-fuel newbuild pipeline.

The delivery of the Mount Victoria, Mount Yulong and Mount Wuyi adds to that bulk carrier count as EPS works through the remainder of its 14-vessel Newcastlemax order at Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding.

Apeks view — Early deliveries on a 14-ship dual-fuel series are a useful signal, but schedule performance is only one data point among many an operator should track across a newbuilding programme. Owners taking delivery of complex LNG dual-fuel tonnage still need to verify build quality, equipment specifications, and commissioning records independently rather than relying on yard or charterer announcements alone. As bulk carriers become a larger share of the alternative-fuel fleet, disciplined documentation through each delivery matters more, not less.