Recently, China's renewable energy equipment manufacturer Tianshun Wind Energy (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Tianshun Wind Energy") officially announced its entry into the shipbuilding sector and has secured its first order for Aframax crude oil tankers.

According to an announcement disclosed by Tianshun Wind Energy on July 22, the company signed a newbuilding agreement with a leading shipping company totaling approximately RMB 1.874 billion (about USD 277 million), covering firm orders for two 113,800 dwt tankers, with options for two additional vessels, at a single-vessel price of about USD 69 million. The announcement states that the two firm orders are scheduled for delivery between 2028 and 2029. The vessels will adopt the 113,800 dwt product tanker design developed by the Marine Design & Research Institute of China (MARIC), with an overall length of approximately 248.8 meters, a breadth of 44 meters, a depth of 21.5 meters, and a design draft of 13.5 meters. They will be classed by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and fly the flag of the Marshall Islands.

According to a report by TradeWinds, photos from the signing ceremony show that the buyers are two companies, Thaliron Crest and Kymon Seamark Corp. However, neither of these two entities appears in authoritative shipping databases such as Clarksons, VesselsValue, or Equasis. S&P Global notes that Kymon Seamark is a new company registered in the Seychelles this year; while Thaliron Crest has no direct record, a company named Thaliron Seacrest shares the exact same registered address. Industry sources in shipbuilding therefore speculate that these companies are highly likely special purpose vehicles (SPVs) established specifically for this contract. Industry insiders point out that the currently strong shipbuilding market is attracting multiple offshore engineering and equipment manufacturing companies to diversify into commercial shipbuilding, with Wison New Energies and Dajin Heavy Industry being recent new entrants. This year, Wison New Energies secured orders for up to 10 very large crude carriers (VLCCs) from Peter Georgiopoulos's United Overseas Group; Dajin Heavy Industry has accumulated orders for more than 10 Newcastlemax bulk carriers from renowned shipping companies including Seatankers, Evalend Shipping, Danaos Corp, and Cape Shipping.