On August 30, a grand naming ceremony was held for two 325,000 DWT WinningMax Very Large Ore Carriers (VLOCs) owned by Winning International Group. Ms. Ma Yan, the ship sponsor, named the two giant vessels "WINNING CREATION" and "WINNING DEVOTION." This naming ceremony not only marks the official debut of the first batch of WinningMax vessels built for Winning International by Hengli Heavy Industry, but also heralds the first tangible results of the deep synergy in new shipbuilding between the two parties since they forged a strategic partnership in June 2024.

Mr. Sun Xiushun, Chairman of Winning International Group, Mr. Chen Jianhua, Chairman of Hengli Group, and Mr. Sun Siyuan, Executive Vice President of Winning International Group, were among the distinguished guests invited to attend the ceremony.

The two vessels named this time are a new generation of VLOCs independently defined and jointly developed by Winning International to meet global resource transportation needs. They have an overall length of 329.99 meters, a molded breadth of 60 meters, a molded depth of 30.5 meters, and a deadweight tonnage of up to 325,000 tons. In terms of green and low-carbon performance, the ship type fully meets the highest Phase III standards for the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI), and features an innovative 12,000-cubic-meter independent methanol fuel tank. This forward-looking design reserves ample conditions for the future use of green methanol and significantly reduces lifecycle carbon emissions. Compared to traditional Capesize vessels, energy consumption per ton-nautical mile is expected to be reduced by nearly 50%. The ship type has already been classed by both DNV and China Classification Society (CCS), obtaining dual authoritative certifications.

What is particularly noteworthy is that the WinningMax is not a traditional standardized procurement ship type, but rather an innovative design tailored entirely to Winning International's extensive operational data accumulated over more than a decade on the Guinea-to-China route, combined with the physical characteristics of the Boke bauxite and Simandou iron ore and the full-chain logistics requirements. It was jointly developed with the Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute and DNV. The ship type has been deeply optimized to address the operational pain points of the West Africa-to-China route, and is truly a next-generation VLOC born from real-world practice.

Mr. Sun Xiushun, Chairman of Winning International Group, pointed out that from the signing of the contract for six WinningMax vessels on June 29, 2024, to the celebration ceremony in Singapore on July 2 and the signing of the strategic cooperation agreement with Hengli Group, and then to the subsequent expansion of the order to a total of eight vessels based on a high degree of mutual trust, this is by no means a simple shipbuilding project, but rather a major strategic deployment by Winning International for the global bulk commodity supply chain. He stated that the continuous upgrading of fleet capacity will form a tighter system synergy with the mines, railways, ports, and maritime transport networks in West Africa, further strengthening the full-chain support capability from the resource end to the market end. With over two decades of deep commitment to shipping logistics and the resources sector, Winning International, through the Winning Consortium platform, has not only ensured the sustained and stable output of the Boke bauxite project, but also celebrated the successful first ore delivery from the Simandou iron ore project in November 2025. These WinningMax vessels will in the future serve as the backbone of the Guinea-to-China route, further consolidating the maritime bridge connecting resources and markets, and enhancing the security and resilience of the global bulk commodity supply chain.

Mr. Sun Siyuan, Executive Vice President of Winning International Group, stated that the WinningMax project represents a historic leap forward for Winning International in its shipping division. He expressed the hope that in the subsequent construction process, all parties will continue to maintain efficient collaboration, continuously iterating and refining construction quality, workmanship standards, and safety management, truly achieving "one vessel, one improvement."

To date, Winning International has placed orders for a total of 16 WinningMax VLOCs, with Beihai Shipbuilding and Hengli Heavy Industry each undertaking the construction of eight vessels. With the first vessel built by Beihai Shipbuilding, "WINNING AMBITION," having successfully completed its maiden voyage in July, and the second vessel, "WINNING BRAVE," having been delivered on August 12, combined with the official naming of "WINNING CREATION" and "WINNING DEVOTION" today, the construction of Winning International's WinningMax fleet has accelerated across the board, powering forward into a new era of green shipping with unstoppable momentum.