GENEVA, SWITZERLAND — Cargill has reached an agreement with CSSC Leasing to time-charter four new baby-cape vessels.

Baby-cape vessels are typically between 100,000 and 120,000 deadweight tonnes and give customers an opportunity to load the optimum amount of cargo to fulfill their supply chains, Cargill said.

The ships primarily will handle grain and coal. The agreement includes an option for two more vessels.

“Cargill continues to modernize its fleet to provide long-term competitiveness and environmental performance. These vessels will be among the most efficient in the market. Every aspect of the design, build and management ensures they will perform at the highest level,” said Jan Dieleman, president of Cargill’s ocean transportation business.

The ships will be built by CSSC’s Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding and delivered throughout 2020. CSSC Leasing is a division of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC).

“Demand for baby-cape vessels grew significantly over the past few years,” said Jeremy Bryan, Cargill’s global physical trading lead. “Cargill is expanding its presence in this segment to meet the needs of our customers.”

Ship management company, Wah Kwong Group, will oversee the technical management and crewing of the vessels.