Yang Ming’s Kuang Ming to enrich fleet with 4 eco-friendly Handymaxes

Taiwanese shipping company Yang Ming Marine Transport Corporation has revealed plans to order four new fuel-efficient Handymax bulk carriers.

At its board meeting held on October 16, 2025, Yang Ming gave the green light to its subsidiary, Kuang Ming Shipping, to order the ship quartet in an effort to strengthen its “fleet competitiveness and profitability”.

Kuang Ming is engaged in the bulk shipping business and currently operates a fleet consisting of six Panamax bulk carriers and four Handymax bulk carriers, in addition to one long-term chartered Capesize vessel. Through fleet modernization and the adoption of high-efficiency vessel designs, Kuang Ming aims to enhance its core charter operations and overall operational performance.

Handymax bulk carriers, ranging from 45,000 to 69,999 dwt, are designed to transport major commodities such as coal and grain, as well as minor bulk cargoes including bauxite, fertilizer, agricultural products, cement, and steel.

“The decision to order four new Handymax vessels will not only align with the anticipated growth in the bulk shipping market but also support the replacement of aging tonnage, improve fuel efficiency, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, enabling Kuang Ming to better comply with the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) decarbonization and emission-reduction requirements,” the company explained.

Yang Ming added that its overall business development will be further strengthened through Kuang Ming’s fleet replacement program, alongside the continuous enhancement of its eco-friendly containership fleet and improved global transportation services.

The group also intends to accelerate its digital transformation to boost operational performance, optimize logistics capacity, and meet customers’ needs.

“These advancements across its diversified business portfolio will reinforce Yang Ming Group’s foundation for sustainable growth,” Yang Ming concluded.

A month ago, Yang Ming commissioned South Korean shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean to construct a septet of 16,000 TEU dual-fuel boxships powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG). The order encompasses seven units with a capacity of 15,880 TEUs, which will reportedly be the first-ever LNG dual-fuel container vessels in Taiwan to also feature ammonia fuel-ready (AFR) specifications.

In the last few months, the company also placed two separate orders for a total of six 8,000 TEU methanol dual-fuel boxships in Japan.