South Korean shipowner HMM has ordered 2+2 50,000 DWT MR product tankers from HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, according to shipping broker Bancosta. Each vessel is priced at $52 million, meaning the total value of the four ships would reach approximately $208 million if the option is exercised. The order extends a broader newbuilding push this year. Including the MR tankers, HMM has ordered more than 10 vessels from HD Hyundai Group yards in 2026, among them 10 2,800-TEU container ships from HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and two 90,000-cubic-meter LPG dual-fuel Very Large Gas Carriers from HD Hyundai Samho, with deliveries set to begin in 2028. In the first half of the year, HMM also placed orders exceeding 10 vessels at Chinese yards, including five 2,000-TEU and seven 3,000-TEU container ships from Huanghai Shipbuilding, plus eight Newcastlemax bulk carriers from an unnamed shipyard. HMM spent 2.2577 trillion won on vessel acquisitions in the first half of 2026, up 245% from 655 billion won in the same period last year. The fleet expansion is part of a medium- to long-term strategy under which HMM plans to invest roughly 29 trillion won in vessels, ports and logistics infrastructure by 2030, aiming to grow its container fleet from 73 to 166 ships and its bulk carrier fleet from 50 to 110. As of end-June 2026, HMM had 45 new vessels under construction, with total construction costs of approximately 1.8779 trillion won, or about $1.403 billion.