American bulk carrier owner Interlink Maritime is pursuing an aggressive fleet expansion plan comprising up to eighteen bulkers ordered at three Chinese yards.
Five 39,000dwt bulker orders have been placed with Zengzhou Shipbuilding. The contract includes options for five more. The five, worth $240m, will start delivery at the end of the 2015, continuing into the middle of 2016.
The quintet, to be classed by the Lloyd’s Register, will sail under the flag of the Marshall Islands.
They will feature an overall length of 179.9m, beam of 30m, and depth of 14.8m
Interlink has also exercised options for five 38,500dwt bulkers at Kouan Shipbuilding, bringing the total newbuild order at the yard to fifteen.
The remaining orders include three options exercised for 38,500dwt bulkers at Huatai Heavy Industry, where the company already has another five vessels on order.
Interlink currently has a new fleet of 6 dry bulk carriers.