HMM announced on the 8th that it signed a 4.7 trillion-won ($3.5 billion) long-term shipping contract with Vale, Brazil's largest mining company. The agreement covers eight 210,000-ton Newcastlemax bulk carriers, each committed to 25 years of service from 2030. It follows two 10-year Vale contracts signed in May and September last year, worth a combined 1.0665 trillion won. HMM disclosed its plan to order the vessels in June. The ships will use tri-fuel engines compatible with methanol, ethanol and heavy fuel oil, be built for future LNG or ammonia conversion, and include rotor sails for wind-assisted propulsion. Under President Choi Won-hyuk, HMM has been reducing short-term charter exposure, expanding long-term contracts and diversifying its bulk fleet. Bulk operating profit rose from 74.5 billion won in the second half of last year to about 240 billion won in the first half of this year, while the fleet expanded from 44 vessels to 61. Separately, a U.S. court authorized the forfeiture of about $212,700 in stablecoins from a wallet prosecutors linked to wages earned by at least 14 North Korean IT workers, as part of a broader $7.74 million forfeiture case.