Chinese owner and operator Fujian Highton Development is further bolstering its dry bulk fleet with its first capsize purchase.

The Shanghai-listed outfit said in a filing it had struck a deal to acquire the 2007-built 178，000 dwt Alpha Prudence， from Greece’s Alpha Bulkers Shipmanagement for $24.75m.

Established in 2009， Highton mainly operates in the supramax segment with a fleet of around 60 ships， more than half of which are owned. The company has been expanding its capacity， which currently stands at about 3.4m dwt， with purchases of 10 ships in the first half of 2024.

In August， Highton also moved into the kamsarmax segment in a three-ship deal with Singapore-based conglomerate Wilmar International.