Chinese mining giant Zijin Mining has placed a new order with Shandong Xinneng Shipbuilding for two 3,000 DWT bulk carriers, expanding its dedicated mineral transport operation on Lake Tanganyika in eastern Africa. The contract follows an earlier order for four 2,000 DWT vessels built at the same Chinese yard, which are now operating on the lake between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania. The new ships will be 50% larger than their predecessors, adding a combined 6,000 DWT to Zijin's lake transport capacity. Contract value and delivery dates have not been disclosed. The investment is part of Zijin's effort to establish an alternative export corridor for minerals produced at its operations in the DRC. The company's existing shipping service links Congolese cargoes with Kigoma in Tanzania, from where they can move onward toward the country's Indian Ocean export infrastructure, reducing reliance on existing overland transport routes. Zijin's first four lake bulkers were built using an arrangement in which hull sections were manufactured in China and then assembled in Tanzania, a method designed to overcome the logistical challenges of constructing vessels for an African inland waterway. The route was established to support the company's expanding mining interests in central Africa.