On May 28, 2026, Andrian Dacy, CEO of JP Morgan Global Transportation Group, a US banking giant, revealed that the company has invested over $3 billion to finalize multiple new ship construction orders driven by strong demand in the charter market. In the past six months, the company has signed more than 30 orders for oil tankers and gas transport ships, and the investment in shipping has continued to increase.

Large order scale

In recent years, JPMorgan Chase has continuously increased its asset layout in the shipping industry through financing, direct investment, and other means. According to the relevant person in charge cited by Trade Wind, the alternative investment sector of this large bank has currently secured more than ten orders for the construction of crude oil tankers, including VLCC and Suezmax tankers. At the same time, nearly ten finished oil tankers have been signed, and plans are being made to build multiple ultra large liquefied gas carriers and liquefied natural gas transport ships.

This investment of over 3 billion US dollars has been allocated to five shipyards, with Chinese and Korean shipyards each bearing half of the orders. New ships are expected to be delivered between 2028 and 2029, and the vast majority of ships have already completed time charter cooperation ahead of schedule.

Persist in building a new ship

The current shipbuilding costs remain high, and the delivery cycle of ships continues to lengthen. Many shipowners choose to purchase second-hand ships or resell ships to grab rental dividends. However, JPMorgan Chase still focuses on new ship construction, and the relevant person in charge has interpreted this. Customers generally prefer to use brand new ships, as the energy-saving effect of the new generation of ships far exceeds that of older ship types in the past. Industry ship upgrades will gradually arrive in the next five to six years. Taking into account the needs of end-users, the replacement cycle of ships, and the difficulty of adapting old fleets to overseas markets, the company ultimately decided to continue investing in the construction of new ships.

Expansion of Shipping Territory

JPMorgan Asset Management has a wide range of business, covering multiple fields such as shipping, railways, aviation, and renewable energy. According to the information released by the company in July 2025, as of the first quarter of 2025, its net assets in shipping investment reached 5.78 billion US dollars. Its assets include all kinds of merchant ships, offshore factory ship, new energy ships and U.S. flag ship platforms, with more than 150 ships in operation.

In 2026, JPMorgan Chase will continue to make moves in the shipping market. In March, it reached multiple shipbuilding partnerships with Samsung Heavy Industries, with a total order value of approximately $662 million. One of the liquefied natural gas transport ships costs approximately $252 million and is scheduled to be delivered in October 2028; Two ultra large liquefied gas carriers with a total value of approximately 227 million US dollars are expected to be delivered in November 2029; Two Suezmax oil tankers are worth approximately $184 million and will be delivered in March 2028. In the same month, both parties ordered three additional Suezmax oil tankers, with a single vessel cost of approximately 89 million US dollars, scheduled for delivery in February 2029. Keywords:Engineering Construction,Construction News,Engineering Information

In April 2026, JPMorgan Chase teamed up with Dalian Shipbuilding to build a super large oil tanker with a total order value of approximately $500 million, marking the company's first foray into this type of ship. Previously, its subsidiary companies added an order for an LNG dual fuel vehicle transport ship from CIMC Raffles by the end of 2025. According to industry statistics, there are currently seven new ships under construction by Morgan Stanley's subsidiaries, and the shipping business layout is continuously expanding.Editor/Gong Ziwei