Uni-Asia signs first newbuild order in 10 years with Nihon Shipyard

The vessel is scheduled for delivery in the second half of 2028.

Uni-Asia Group Limited signed an agreement with Nihon Shipyard Co., Ltd and its affiliate on 2 March 2026 to acquire a 40,000-dwt double hull bulk carrier, marking the group’s first newbuild order in more than a decade.

Imabari Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. will construct the vessel at Shimanami Shipyard Co., Ltd., with delivery scheduled for the second half of 2028, according to a press release.

The vessel features an eco-type engine and a dual-fuel ready design, allowing for the future installation of a dual-fuel engine and an eco-fuel system whilst meeting environmental industry standards.

The acquisition forms part of the group’s fleet renewal strategy. Funding will include internal sources, external debt, and other financing arrangements.

The purchase price was determined through negotiations and aligns with historical prices for vessels between 38,000-dwt and 42,000-dwt recorded from January 2022 to January 2026.

A NOTE FROM SINGAPORE BUSINESS REVIEW

Reaching the people who run Asia's businesses is harder than it used to be.

Inboxes are crowded. Attention is short. The executives you most want to reach — the founders, CFOs, and operators who actually move budgets — are the hardest to find through the usual channels. If you're building a company, a category, or a reputation, you already know this.

We've spent twenty years building the room they read. Singapore Business Review is where senior decision makers in Singapore and across Southeast Asia come for business coverage they can't get elsewhere — in print, online, and in person at the summits and roundtables we host across seven markets.

If you have something these readers should know about — a point of view worth publishing, a product worth their attention, an event worth their time — we'd like to hear what you're trying to do.

Book a meeting

| Or download the media kit (PDF)

240,000 senior readers quarterly in print Top 1,700 Singapore companies reached

7 markets across Southeast Asia