A US operator has christened the newest addition to its trans-oceanic fleet while two Chinese yards secure orders from domestic and overseas customers. Two European owners have unveiled plans for further fleet expansion.
China's Zhonggu Logistics has ordered two 14,000TEU Neo-Panamax container vessels from local company Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding.
The two vessels will be the largest yet to be ordered by the intra-Asia liner operator.
The latest order brings Zhonggu's spending on container newbuildings this year to US$1.37 billion.
The ships to be built by Hudong-Zhonghua will each have an LOA of 336 metres, a beam of 51 metres, a moulded depth of 30.2 metres, and a design speed of 21 knots. Propulsion will be provided by a conventional low-speed engine.
Matson and Hanwha Philly Shipyard christened the containership Makua, the first in a new series of three vessels, during a ceremony in Philadelphia on Saturday, October 10.
The 3,600TEU Jones Act-compliant ship is expected to arrive in the first quarter of 2027. Sister vessels Malama and Makena are slated to arrive in Q3 2027 and Q2 2028, respectively.
The three ships represent an investment of approximately US$1 billion and are being built for Matson's Hawaii and China–Long Beach service, where they will replace three existing vessels. The ships displaced from those services will in turn take the place of three older vessels in Matson's Alaska service.
Matson Chairman and CEO Matt Cox said that the addition of Makua and her two sisters over the next 18 months, “will improve operating efficiencies and reliability, and increase capacity in our core Hawaii service, as well as our China-Long Beach express service.”
German shipowner Elbdeich Reederei recently placed an order for two container vessel newbuildings.
The pair represents a new size for the family-run company's orderbook, which now comprises eight vessels in three different sizes.
The TEU capacities of the new ships have not been disclosed, and no charterer has been identified for the vessels.
The order extends a fleet growth programme that Elbdeich has pursued through successive contracts in different size categories since 2023.
Global Ship Lease announced on October 6 that it had exercised options for two additional mid-size containerships, with contracts totaling about $163 million, taking its newbuilding orderbook to 17 vessels.
The exercise remains subject to conditions precedent. The vessels are scheduled for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2029.
The company said it was discussing employment for the two ships with prospective charterers, while the 15 vessels ordered in June had secured multi-year charters.
George Youroukos, the company's executive chairman, said the company was adding the ships on terms agreed earlier this year, “at prices no longer available in the market for comparably specified ships with 2029 deliveries.”
Thai shipping company RCL has ordered four container vessels from China State Shipbuilding Corporation subsidiary Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding, taking its reported newbuilding programme to 22 vessels.
The programme has been valued at about US$1.45 billion and includes 16 feeder ships to be built by Huangpu Wenchong.
RCL signed the latest contract with Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding and China Shipbuilding Trading on Thursday, September 24. Each of the four ships will have a capacity of 3,100 TEUs.
The new quartet joins eight 4,488TEU ships and four 1,900TEU ships in the 16-unit feeder vessel programme. RCL and the yard signed the contract for the 1,900-TEU quartet on August 21.
