China Merchants Energy Shipping (CMES) has exercised an option for a second shuttle tanker at Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co (DSIC), solidifying its debut programme in the specialised offshore crude transportation sector.

The Shanghai-listed owner originally placed the order through its Hong Kong subsidiary, Associated Maritime Co, at the end of last year, signing for one firm 154,000 dwt vessel plus an option for a second. The two-ship package was valued at approximately RMB1.79bn, or roughly $256m at the time, with deliveries scheduled for 2028.

Procurement documents for the option vessel indicate that DSIC was selected in May, with delivery required no later than September 30, 2028. The 154,000 dwt tanker is based on DSIC's DS05619-OS design and will be built to specifications incorporating requirements for Repsol projects and Petrobras DPST (Dynamic Positioning Shuttle Tanker) operations.

CMES has already secured long-term time charter employment with core clients for the shuttle tanker programme. In January, Splash reported that market sources expected the vessels to be chartered to CNOOC, China's largest offshore oil and gas producer.

The decision moves CMES beyond the single-vessel entry announced at the start of the year and establishes a two-ship foothold in the shuttle tanker segment, which is focused on transporting crude oil from offshore production facilities and Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) units. The shuttle tanker market has historically been served by a small group of specialist operators, with the largest fleets concentrated in the North Sea and Brazilian offshore basins, making CMES's entry a notable expansion of a major Chinese owner into a segment long dominated by Nordic and Brazilian players.

The shuttle tanker pair forms part of a significantly larger tanker newbuilding campaign at DSIC, a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation. In March, CMES signed for ten 306,000 dwt Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) worth RMB8.566bn ($1.24bn). The conventionally fuelled, scrubber-fitted vessels are scheduled for delivery between 2028 and 2030.

Last month, CMES also approved construction of five additional scrubber-fitted aframax tankers at DSIC, with deliveries commencing in 2029. Those vessels are intended for a new aframax pooling arrangement currently being developed in partnership with major international oil companies. Combined, the orders represent one of the largest tanker newbuilding commitments by a single Chinese owner in recent years.