Shandong Port-owned Sealand Equipment Group has secured its first oil and chemical tanker order, signing a 10,000 dwt newbuild with an unnamed European customer.

The RINA-class vessel will be able to carry IMO II and III chemical cargoes and will combine a shaft-generator DC bus with battery storage to allow more flexible power management.

The contract moves the Chinese group into a higher-spec segment after it built an orderbook dominated by multipurpose, heavylift and workboat tonnage, adding a vessel type that has stricter cargo-handling and class requirements than the workboats and general-purpose ships Sealand has been delivering.

Sealand has been expanding its shipbuilding operations through a two-base partnership with Tongling Port and Shipping. Under that arrangement, commercial, design and negotiation work is handled in Shandong, while construction capacity is based in Anhui.

The companies said the chemical tanker is their latest joint project following a series of new-energy bulkers, showing the partnership is being used across different ship types rather than a single program.

Shipbuilding data cited by Chinese reports showed Sealand had 30 ships on order totalling around 260,000 dwt before the latest contract, with deliveries scheduled through 2029.