COMEC (00317) shares climbed more than 5% in Hong Kong trading on Thursday, with the stock last up 5.25% at HK$16.04, reflecting a turnover of HK$86.75 million.

The uptick comes as the robust tanker market's positive momentum increasingly filters into the shipbuilding supply chain. Data from the Baltic and International Maritime Council shows that as of July 2026, global new orders for crude oil tankers this year have reached 234 vessels, totaling 60 million deadweight tonnes—a record high. Notably, VLCC orders account for 151 of these vessels, representing 79% of the total deadweight tonnage in new crude tanker orders.

According to Shenwan Hongyuan analysts, time-charter rates and second-hand vessel prices have been climbing steadily and have already surpassed levels seen in 2008, which is expected to further support newbuild vessel pricing.

During its recent earnings briefing, COMEC stated that it secured orders for 55 newbuild vessels across 8 different ship types in the first half of the year, with container ships forming the bulk of the portfolio. This ongoing optimization of the order mix is laying a solid foundation for improved gross margins. As the current order book progresses through construction and delivery, the revenue contribution from container ships is set to rise accordingly, providing a positive boost to the company’s future profitability.

With the delivery schedule for its existing order backlog now extending into 2030, the earnings impact from these orders will gradually materialize in the years ahead.