Broking sources say the Dhaka-based owner wants to acquire a couple of Japanese-built handymaxes in the coming months to secure freight deals with local utility and steel mills to import Southeast Asian coal.
Company officials decline to comment.
The company last bought a bulker in 2012 but put further acquisitions on hold after it failed to win more contracts.
Since then, it has sold its ageing bulker fleet for scrap while investing heavily in coastal tonnage.
The owner currently handles nearly 1.5 million tonnes of cargo annually but this is set to rise to 2.5 million tonnes per year as it fulfills the requirements of local utilities and its own cement factories.
Bashundhara was launched in 1987 as a property developer but in the past five years has diversified into cement, paper, steel mills, dredging and food processing. In 2009, it launched a media wing that owns three newspapers.
Sources say that with the Bangladeshi government looking to increase coal imports, domestic bulker players are increasingly eyeing ship acquisitions to secure long-term contracts.
State-owned Bangladesh Shipping Corp (BSC) revealed its plan to acquire larger bulkers for the coal trade earlier this month.
