Wilbur Ross, the billionaire investor in struggling industries, raised $100 million to buy ships hauling coal, iron ore and grains, betting that accelerating growth in emerging markets will boost trade.

WL Ross & Co. and its partners ordered four Ultramax vessels with options for four more, Ross said by phone today. He declined to name the other investors in the venture, Nautical Bulk Holdings Ltd. The ships will be delivered in 2015 by China’s Jiangsu Hantong Ship Heavy Industry Co.

The 65,000 deadweight-ton ships will have fuel-efficient designs and be equipped with their own cranes, allowing them to unload cargoes in less-developed ports, Ross said. The company may buy more ships, he said. Ross’s company also has stakes in tankers hauling refined fuels and liquefied petroleum gas.

“Since we think a lot of the demand for dry commodities is going to develop in the emerging markets, we think they’re well-suited to that,” Ross said by phone. Shipping rates will recover by the time the new ships are built, he said.