Just a few weeks after buying its youngest vessel yet on the secondhand market, Athens-based bulker specialist W Marine stepped up its game by inking its first newbuildings in nearly 20 years.

The company, founded by Yiannis Sarantitis in 2003, signed an order for a pair of 82,000-dwt kamsarmax bulkers at Chengxi Shipyard on Wednesday.

“We regard these ships as a stepping stone towards the company’s future,” W Marine managing director Nikos Triantafyllakis told TradeWinds.