Chinese chemical tanker owner Nanjing Shenghang Shipping is stepping up its fleet renewal programme with plans to invest CNY994.8m ($148m) in six 13,500 dwt stainless-steel chemical and product tanker newbuildings.

The Shenzhen-listed company has placed the series at China Merchants Shipbuilding Industry Group Nanjing Shipyard, with each vessel priced at CNY165.8m ($24.7m), including tax. Deliveries are scheduled from August 2028 through October 2030.

The new ships will feature duplex stainless-steel cargo tanks with 14 segregations and a one-tank, one-pump, one-pipeline arrangement, allowing as many as 14 different cargo grades to be carried simultaneously. Duplex stainless steel is widely used in sophisticated chemical tanker construction because of its corrosion resistance and ability to handle demanding cargoes. Stainless-steel tonnage occupies the high-specification end of the chemical shipping market, where vessels with greater cargo segregation command premiums over coated product tankers and are typically employed on contracts with established chemical producers and traders.

According to Nanjing Shenghang, the programme is aimed at replacing older tonnage while expanding the company's capacity in both domestic and international chemical trades. Fleet renewal is a recurring theme across the chemical tanker sector, where ageing tonnage and tightening environmental rules are prompting owners to order modern, fuel-efficient replacements in a market with a broadly balanced supply-demand picture.

The six-ship order represents a significant escalation of the renewal effort that Splash reported in June, when the company booked a single 6,200 dwt chemical tanker at Zhejiang Dongpeng Shipyard for delivery in 2027. At the time, that vessel was described as the first project in a broader fleet modernisation programme.

At the end of 2025, the Shenghang group controlled more than 50 vessels totalling around 425,000 dwt across domestic and international chemical and oil trades, giving the new series a meaningful role in the group's overall fleet profile once delivered.

The order reflects continued activity at Chinese shipyards, which remain among the world's largest centres for commercial newbuilding construction across multiple vessel segments. The delivery window stretching to late 2030 also illustrates the long lead times currently typical of chemical tanker newbuildings, as slots at major yards remain booked years ahead.