China’s Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding Heavy Industry has secured an order from Compagnie Maritime Belge (CMB) for up to four newcastlemax bulker newbuildings worth $244m.

The state-owned shipyard has been contracted by the Belgian owner to construct the 210,000-dwt newbuildings in what the shipowner regards as “an opportunistic order”, Benoit Timmermans, chief commercial officer of CMB’s dry division Bocimar, confirmed.