Singapore-based large bulkers specialist Winning International Group has signed a 10-year shipbuilding and repair agreement with CSSC Beihai Shipbuilding as it continues to build out a dedicated fleet of giant bauxite carriers.

The memorandum signed in Qingdao covers future newbuilding construction， routine fleet maintenance and repair， vessel upgrades and lifecycle technical support. No fresh ship orders were announced alongside the agreement.

The deal deepens an already sizeable relationship centred on Winning’s 325，000 dwt winningmax ore carrier programme.

Beihai delivered the first of the new-generation VLOCs in June， followed by a second in August. The ships were developed around Winning’s long-haul bauxite trades between West Africa and China.

Splash reported in December that Winning had returned to Beihai for another six 325，000 dwt ships， taking its committed programme at the CSSC yard to eight units. The first two had been ordered in 2023.

The methanol-ready design measures close to 330 m and incorporates about 12，000 cu m of alternative-fuel capacity. Winning has another series of large ore carriers booked at Hengli Shipbuilding.

The group operates more than 100 bulkers， over 50 of them owned， and has become one of the most important shipping players on the Guinea-China bauxite route. Splash noted last year that Winning moves more than 50m tonnes of bauxite annually from Guinea to China.