(Yicai) Oct. 14 -- Hengli Shipbuilding, a Chinese firm engaged in high-end shipbuilding and marine engineering, said it has secured a new order for three ocean-going vessels, bringing the number of large ships it has received orders for to 13 in half a month, which could be worth a total of up to USD1.9 billion.

The new order includes one very large crude carrier with a deadweight tonnage of 306,000 tons and two Capesize bulk ships, Hengli Shipbuilding's parent firm Songfa Ceramics announced late yesterday. The order will be settled in US dollars, it added.

The client is a well-known shipowner, with the deal's worth estimated to be between USD200 million and USD400 million, Songfa Ceramics noted, without disclosing the name of the client and the deal value due to a confidentiality agreement. The three vessels will likely be delivered from the middle of next year to the second half of 2027.

On Sept. 28, Songfa Ceramics said a well-known European shipowner placed an order for four VLCCs with a deadweight tonnage of 306,000 tons with Hengli Shipbuilding, which could be worth between USD400 million and USD600 million.

In addition, Hengli Shipbuilding secured an order for six such VLCCs from two renowned European shipowners earlier this month, with a total estimated worth between USD600 million and USD900 million, according to Songfa Ceramics.

Hengli Shipbuilding is one of China's top five shipbuilding enterprises. It became a subsidiary of private petrochemical giant Hengli Group in 2022, but it was transferred to Songfa Ceramics in May this year as part of a major asset restructuring that saw Songfa Ceramics shift its main business from ceramic manufacturing to the research, development, production, and sales of ships and high-end equipment.

Shares of Chaozhou-based Songfa Ceramics [SHA: 603268] rose 3.7 percent to CNY47.80 (USD6.72) each as of lunch break in Shanghai today.

Editor: Martin Kadiev