Newbuilding orders over the past week show that Cosco Shipping Lines is on a fleet expansion drive. The Chinese state-controlled operator’s subsidiary. OOCL. has ordered a dozen 13,600 teu LNG dual-fuelled ships at Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding for $2.2bn for delivery between late 2028 and early 2030. With this order, OOCL will take delivery of 33 newbuildings over the next five years, with 21 other containership newbuildings, ranging from 18,000 to 24,000 teu, on ... The post Charterers join in as Cosco heads a flurry of box ship newbuild orders appeared first on The Loadstar .
Newbuilding orders over the past week show that Cosco Shipping Lines is on a fleet expansion drive. The Chinese state-controlled operator’s subsidiary. OOCL. has ordered a dozen 13,600 teu LNG dual-fuelled ships at Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding for $2.2bn for delivery between late 2028 and early 2030. With this order, OOCL will take delivery of 33 newbuildings over the next five years, with 21 other containership newbuildings, ranging from 18,000 to 24,000 teu, on order at affiliated shipbuilders Nantong Cosco KHI Ship Engineering and Dalian Cosco KHI . Cosco is also backing a dozen 9,200 teu and four 3,100 teu vessels Greek tonnage provider Costamare commissioned at Dalian Shipbuilding. The larger ships will be chartered to Cosco for 15 years upon delivery in 2028 to 2030, the others on eight-year charters to the Chinese operator upon delivery between 2027 and 2028. The total cost, of $1.32bn, is understood to be funded with Chinese leasing companies, with the 9,200 teu ships said to be priced at $110m each. MB Shipbrokers said Costamare’s commission appears to be one of the longest single orders of container vessels contracted by a non-operating owner. The Danish broker said: “Deliveries scheduled from 2028 through 2030 indicate that the project has been in the pipeline for some time.” Meanwhile, Sinotrans Container Lines, an intra-Asia carrier, might be making its debut in the larger vessel segment, after its shareholder, China Merchants Energy Shipping (CMES), commissioned four 8,200 teu and four 1,800 teu ships at China Merchants Heavy Industry for delivery in 2027 and 2028. The 8,200 teu ships are said to cost $105m each, while the feeders are priced around $34m each. CMES said the ships would optimise its container fleet capacity, improve trade services and strengthen its market competitiveness. Sinolines became a CMES subsidiary in 2021, shortly after the China Merchants and Sinotrans groups merged. The wider group appears to be consolidating its container shipping business, withincreasing purchasesof stock in domestic liner and logistics group Antong Holdings. Sinolines’ fellow state-controlled shipping line, China United, a regional carrier, this week ordered newbuildings for the first time in four years – four 6,400 teu ships at CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding for $300m. The ships, with 1,150 reefer slots each, would be delivered in late 2029. CULines’s last order was in 2022, for a 7,000 teu pair at Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding, intending to deploy the vessels to the Asia-Europe lane. However, the freight market corrected in 2023 and the carrier sold the ships to Wan Hai Lines. Although CULines abandoned its Asia-Europe and transpacific services, it has been busy enlarging its market share in the Far East-Red Sea lane, pouncing on SeaLead Shipping’s downsized portfolio. Greek shipowner M/Maritime is making its debut in the container segment, after a decade in the dry bulk market. The John Mytilineos-controlled company has ordered a 2,800 teu pair at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, for delivery in 2028. Each priced around $50m. The line said: “These transactions highlight M/Maritime’s disciplined growth model — strengthening its established dry bulk presence while selectively expanding into adjacent segments.” And the firm charter market for box ships has attracted Greek shipowners not previously in the segment. M/Maritime’s more established compatriot peer, Euroseas, is stretching its feeder ship orderbook to 10. The Aristides Pittas-controlled Euroseas has ordered a 1,800 teu pair at Nantong CIMC Sinopacific Offshore & Engineering, costing $33m each, and scheduled for delivery in 2028. The order comes with options for two more ships. Euroseas has also exercised options for two more 2,800 teu high-reefer boxships at Huanghai Shipbuilding, after an initial pair was booked in March, for $47m each. The second pair is scheduled for delivery in October 2028 and January 2029. These will be equipped with more than 1,000 reefer plugs. Inside the industry’s AI shift Complete The Loadstar’s ‘State of AI in the Supply Chain’ survey — and receive the full report and data before release. Take the 2-min survey
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