Maritime Industry Briefing: Vietnamese Steelmaker Backs Domestic Shipbuilding, Shell Awards Malaysian Offshore EPC Contract

## Hoa Phat Backs Domestic Yard for Ultramax Newbuild Vietnamese steelmaker Hoa Phat has signalled confidence in the country's domestic shipbuilding capacity by awarding its latest fleet expansion contract to a local yard. According to Splash247, Hoa Phat Shipping has signed an agreement with Nam Trieu Shipbuilding — also known as NASICO — for the construction of a 65,000 dwt ultramax bulk carrier. The Haiphong-based yard will deliver the vessel as part of Hoa Phat's ongoing strategy to build out its shipping arm in support of the group's steel operations. The decision to source domestically rather than turn to established East Asian shipbuilding hubs such as China, Japan, or South Korea is notable, reflecting both a degree of maturity in Vietnam's shipbuilding sector and a broader industrial policy preference for local procurement. Ultramax bulk carriers in the 60,000–65,000 dwt range remain among the most versatile and in-demand vessel types in the dry bulk market, well-suited to carrying raw materials including iron ore and coal — key inputs for steelmakers such as Hoa Phat. --- ## OceanMight Wins Shell EPC Award for Malaysian Offshore Fields In the offshore energy sector, Malaysian fabricator OceanMight has secured an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract from Shell covering fixed offshore structures linked to multiple field developments off Malaysia, Splash247 reports. Parent company KKB Engineering confirmed that OceanMight received a letter of award for work associated with the SK408 Teja and Pepulut developments. The contract underscores continued investment in Malaysia's upstream offshore sector and reinforces OceanMight's position as a key domestic fabrication partner for international operators active in Malaysian waters. Fixed-structure EPC awards of this nature are significant indicators of upstream project momentum, as they typically precede first-steel activities and represent firm commitments to field development timelines. --- *Sources: Splash247. Non-maritime items from the broader newswire feed have been excluded from this briefing.*