BHP is making a significant shipping strategy shift by going out to selected owners with a tender to charter up to 14 LNG-fuelled newcastlemax bulker newbuildings that may cost almost $1bn to build.

Industry sources said the Australian mining giant has put out a closed tender inviting companies it works with to offer proposals to charter 10 firm, 210,000-dwt dual-fuel bulkers for 15 years to ship iron ore from Australia to China.