# HMM confirms no new tanker order with HD Hyundai on Sept. 9

*The South Korean ocean carrier continues to await four MR tankers ordered in 2024 for $104 million, while directing fresh capital toward a $3.5 billion bulk contract with Vale.*

**Published:** September 10, 2026  
**By:** Hyun-jung Lee  
**Section:** Shipbuilding & Defense — South Korea  
**Format:** Why It Matters  
**Confidence:** medium  
**Source:** https://eastasiabrief.com/shipbuilding/hmm-confirms-no-new-tanker-order-hd-hyundai-sept-228  
**Publisher:** East Asia Brief (https://eastasiabrief.com/)

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## What to know

- HMM filed no new tanker contract on Sept. 9, 2026, holding an existing 2024 pact for four MR hulls
- The base $104 million order lands at HD Hyundai Mipo with deliveries starting in late 2026
- HMM separately booked a $3.46 billion iron ore transport deal with Vale on Sept. 8

![Shipyard workers work on the bow of a massive vessel resting in a dry dock framed by towering industrial cranes. (AI-generated image)](https://eastasiabrief.com/media/2026-09-09-6aa83f6c884b.webp)
*Shipyard workers work on the bow of a massive vessel resting in a dry dock framed by towering industrial cranes. (AI-generated image)*

South Korea's largest ocean carrier HMM recorded no new regulatory filing for product tankers on Sept. 9, 2026, clarifying the status of a widely circulated four-vessel shipbuilding program.

Market reports on Sept. 9 suggested that HMM had placed a fresh order with HD Hyundai for up to four medium-range tankers. Those reports revived details from an agreement signed two years earlier.

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Cite as: East Asia Brief, "HMM confirms no new tanker order with HD Hyundai on Sept. 9," September 10, 2026. https://eastasiabrief.com/shipbuilding/hmm-confirms-no-new-tanker-order-hd-hyundai-sept-228