Marking the beginning of a new era in maritime innovation, Singapore’s Winning International Group (WIG), in collaboration with China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) signed a contract for the construction of two cutting-edge 325,000 dwt ore carriers, to facilitate the company’s West Africa to China seaborne trade.
The so-called WinningMax vessels represent a new generation of ships that WIG has envisioned by itself in partnership with CSDC, a design company under CSSC Beihai Shipbuilding Company.
The ships, which have received technical support and recognition from both the China Classification Society and Det Norske Veritas, will be nearly 330m long, methanol-ready with 12,000 cubic meters of methanol fuel storage tanks, have a speed of 13.9 knots and are designed to meet the EEDI Phase 3 requirements.
Compared to Baltic Capesize vessels, the WinningMax carrier is projected to reduce energy consumption by nearly 50% per nautical mile per deadweight.
Winning International Group boasts one of the largest bulk carrier fleets in Singapore and is presently a large bauxite ocean carrier, primarily engaged in bauxite development in Guinea, with an annual mining capacity exceeding 50m tonnes.
Its goal is to construct, as the company says, a fleet of super-large ore carriers for the ocean transportation of bauxite and iron ore in Guinea in the near future, “furthering its ongoing commitment to greener fleets.”
Winning Consortium Simandou, led by Winning International Group, holds the mining concession to Simandou Iron Ore Blocks 1 and 2 in Guinea, abundant in high-quality hematite ore, with a reserve exceeding 1.8 billion tonnes and an impressive grade of up to 65%.
During the signing ceremony, Sun Xiushun, chairman of Winning International Group, said that “Our shared investment in energy efficiency and environmental protection not only benefits our ship-owning business and shipping operations but also enables us to offer safer, more cost-effective, and sustainable services for our mining development ventures in Guinea and our global shipping clientele.”
Yi Shyan LEE, chairman of Business China (Singapore), added that “the signing of WinningMax carriers is in line with Singapore’s vision to go green in the shipping and maritime industry.”
