Winning 12 'star' ships in a row! SUMEDA's shipbuilding and shipping dual-drive

Less than a week later, Sumec Shipbuilding's star vessel, the Crown 63 PLUS bulk carrier, has secured another large order, further solidifying its position as a leading global shipyard for Ultramax bulk carriers. This first collaboration with China Huaxia Financial Leasing also marks another milestone in Sumec Shipbuilding's commitment to its dual-wheel drive development strategy of shipbuilding and shipping.

8 vessels! China Huaxia Financial Leasing orders bulk carriers from New Ocean Shipbuilding for the first time.

On April 2, the shipbuilding company of Sumec Corporation and China Huaxia Financial Leasing Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as China Huaxia Leasing) signed contracts for the construction and leasing of eight Crown 63 3.0 version 63,500-ton bulk carriers. Shen Zongqing, President of China Huaxia Leasing; Lu Wensheng, Deputy Head of Nanjing Branch of China Huaxia Bank; Yang Yongqing, Party Secretary and Chairman of Sumec; Zhang Xin, Deputy Chief Accountant and General Manager of the Asset and Finance Department; and He Jun, Chairman of Sumec Shipbuilding, attended the signing ceremony.

These eight new vessels will be built by Sumec Shipbuilding's New Ocean Shipbuilding, marking the first time China Huaxia Leasing has ordered new vessels from New Ocean Shipbuilding. On the same day, China Huaxia Leasing also signed a bareboat charter agreement with Sumec Shipbuilding's Singapore subsidiary, Sumec Ocean Transportation (SOT).

Yang Yongqing stated that Sumec and China Huaxia Bank have maintained a good cooperative relationship, and the signing of the construction and leasing contract for eight Crown 63 3.0 version bulk carriers with China Huaxia Leasing marks a new milestone in the path of mutual cooperation and win-win development. He hopes that both sides will work together, give full play to their respective advantages, jointly promote the smooth implementation of the project, seek common development and cooperation, achieve a win-win future, and make greater contributions to the national marine cause and economic and social development.

Zhang Xin introduced the history of cooperation between Sumec and China Huaxia Bank's Nanjing branch, and looks forward to working with China Huaxia Leasing for common development. He Jun stated that the shipbuilding company will double its efforts to make the ship type more excellent and shipping more professional, achieving win-win development. In this signing, the company's asset and finance department customized a financial plan, obtaining a special credit line exceeding 800 million yuan, facilitating the first cooperation between the shipbuilding company and China Huaxia Bank.

In his speech, Shen Zongqing expressed gratitude to Sumec for its long-term support of China Huaxia Leasing's shipping business. He stated that the shipping business is a key business segment for China Huaxia Leasing, and this signing marks a new starting point for the company's shipping segment. China Huaxia Leasing will take this signing as an opportunity to continuously improve its ability to serve the real economy and deepen the high-quality development cooperation that benefits both parties.

China Huaxia Leasing has always adhered to the corporate culture concept of "value, responsibility, professionalism, and innovation," continuously increasing its efforts to return to its roots and serve the real economy, forging a distinctive path of green development. Since entering the shipping industry in 2021, China Huaxia Leasing has continuously focused on high-quality industry clients and mainstream ship types, seeking steady progress. This signing of the contract and lease for eight 63,500-ton new bulk carriers is a key step for China Huaxia Leasing in the shipping field. China Huaxia Leasing will continue to cultivate the ship leasing market, giving full play to its role as a main force in serving the real economy and a ballast stone in maintaining financial stability, continuously improving its ability and level of service to the real economy, and contributing to the high-quality development of green and low-carbon marine industries.

It is understood that China Huaxia Leasing was established in 2013 and is a national financial leasing company approved by the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, with its registered address in Kunming, Yunnan Province. China Huaxia Leasing was jointly initiated by China Huaxia Bank Co., Ltd. and Kunming Industrial Development Investment Co., Ltd., with a registered capital of 8 billion yuan.

At the end of 2021, China Huaxia Leasing entered the shipping industry, placing orders for a total of 14 Handysize bulk carriers at three shipyards: Nantong Xiangyu Haizhuang, Nantong COSCO SHIPPING Kawasaki, and CSSC Chengxi. This included four 63,500-ton vessels from Xiangyu Haizhuang, two 64,000-ton vessels from Nantong COSCO SHIPPING Kawasaki, and eight 63,500-ton vessels from CSSC Chengxi, marking the official launch of the company's shipping business segment. In 2022, China Huaxia Leasing added another two 63,500-ton bulk carriers from Xiangyu Haizhuang, and in 2023, it ordered two 82,600-ton deadweight Kamsarmax bulk carriers from CSSC Chengxi.

To become China's Imabari Shipbuilding or Tsuneishi Shipbuilding? Sumec Shipbuilding adheres to a dual-wheel drive.

For Sumec Shipbuilding, the new order from China Huaxia Leasing marks the second order of the same ship type received in less than a week, following the signing of a contract for four Crown 63 PLUS bulk carriers with Turkish shipowner CINER BULKERS on March 28.

It is understood that the Crown 63 PLUS (CROWN63 3.0 version) has been re-optimized in hull lines through cooperation with a Japanese professional design company and adopts energy-saving and consumption-reducing designs, achieving an upgrade of the advantageous ship type. The cargo capacity has been significantly increased, and the data on speed and fuel consumption are also significantly improved compared to the CROWN63 2.0 version. The EEDI value far exceeds the baseline, making it a top performer among Phase 3 vessels.

Based on the original brand ship type, this ship type has undergone multiple upgrades, with excellent performance in various aspects: the cargo capacity, speed, and fuel consumption data have been significantly improved, meeting the requirements of the International Maritime Organization's IMO Ship Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) 3 and Tier 3 emission standards. The ship type design incorporates green concepts, optimizing the hull lines, and further highlighting the advantages of energy saving and consumption reduction. Continuously promoting the configuration of product series, providing multiple configuration options such as low-resistance paint, desulfurization towers, high-voltage shore power systems, and ship intelligence systems to meet the needs of different shipowners in various scenarios.

For a long time, Sumec Shipbuilding has adhered to design-led, synergistic development of shipbuilding and shipping, with continuous iteration and updates of ship products, achieving greater energy saving, environmental protection, and green low-carbon development. To date, Sumec Shipbuilding has delivered 15 Crown 63 3.0 version bulk carriers. After this signing, Sumec Shipbuilding has 65 orders for the Crown 63 3.0 version, with shipowners from Europe, the Middle East, Japan, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.

Sumec Shipbuilding is a core member enterprise of Sumec Corporation, established in 1990 and affiliated with China National Machinery Industry Corporation. After more than 30 years of development, it has become an international enterprise with two main businesses: shipbuilding and shipping services. Among them, the shipbuilding business uses New Ocean Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. in Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, as its production base, with modern production equipment and facilities. With the excellent design and widespread global reputation of its Crown 63 ship type, New Ocean Shipbuilding has become one of the preferred shipyards for global shipowners to order Ultramax bulk carriers in China.

According to Clarkson's data, New Ocean Shipbuilding currently has a total backlog of 56 vessels with 3.33 million deadweight tons, including 52 bulk carriers, three container ships, and one offshore engineering vessel, with delivery dates extending to 2026. In the Ultramax bulk carrier segment, New Ocean Shipbuilding currently has 44 orders, second only to Xiangyu Haizhuang (59 orders), ranking second globally. This does not include the 12 new orders received last week and this week.

In 2019, Sumitomo Heavy Industries Shipbuilding established Sumitomo Marine in Singapore, aiming to build it into a new type of ship owner, becoming China's Imabari Shipbuilding or Constant Stone Shipbuilding. Sumitomo Marine supports leasing companies in ordering new vessels through 10-15 year bareboat charter agreements, then chartering them to top international lessees such as Cargill.

Currently, Sumitomo Marine has become a major client of New Century Shipbuilding. According to Clarkson data, among New Century Shipbuilding's current order book, a total of 11 Ultramax bulk carriers will be delivered to Sumitomo Marine for operation, including 7 vessels ordered by China Development Bank Leasing as the ship owner, to be delivered in 2024-2025; and 4 vessels ordered by AVIC Leasing as the ship owner, to be delivered in 2025-2026.

Official website data shows that Sumitomo Shipbuilding currently has a total fleet size of 43 vessels, including 12 Crown 82 Kamsarma type bulk carriers, 23 Crown 63 Ultramax type bulk carriers, 6 double-deck cargo ships and 2 handysize bulk carriers. Its main "Crown" series bulk carriers achieve higher transportation efficiency with lower fuel consumption. The ships are equipped with various energy-saving systems, exhaust gas treatment devices, and ballast water treatment equipment to reduce the impact of ship navigation on the environment and promote the healthy development of green shipping.