Hong Kong-listed Seacon Shipping has moved to grow and renew its fleet， taking over contracts for four multipurpose newbuildings in a deal worth $44.4m.

The Qingdao-based owner said an indirect subsidiary has entered into novation agreements to assume all rights and obligations tied to the vessels， which were originally booked by Singapore’s H&C Marine Engineering and Hong Kong’s FLC Chance Shipping.

Under the deal， the original buyers will step away without making any instalment payments， with Seacon stepping in as the new buyer under revised shipbuilding contracts.

The vessels — four 5，200 dwt multipurpose dry cargo ships — are being built at Jiangsu Dajin Heavy Industry， a unit of Shenzhen-listed Bestway Marine & Energy Technology. Deliveries are scheduled across 2027， running from April through to November.

Seacon said the acquisition fits its ongoing strategy of phasing out older tonnage while expanding its controlled fleet with more modern， fuel-efficient ships that meet current environmental standards.

The added capacity is also expected to improve the group’s ability to secure cargoes， particularly from larger customers that place weight on fleet size and vessel quality when selecting shipping partners.

The company noted that having more owned tonnage on the water should strengthen its competitiveness and allow it to handle a broader range of cargo requirements.

The latest deal follows similar fleet moves by Seacon. In late 2024， the company lined up six MPP newbuildings which were initially ordered by Chen Yuetao-owned Union Marine， and in early 2025 it added seven modern mini bulkers built between 2022 and 2024 from Baltic Shipping.