17 June 2024 (Lloyd's List) - WHILE orders for bulk carriers and tankers have been on the rise this year, only a handful of newbuilding contracts have been signed for containerships. However, this looks set to change.
Brokers report numerous boxship orders in the pipeline with a number of tonnage providers and liner operators having signed letters of intents with top-tier shipyards in China and South Korea.
The majority of them appear to be for so-called “mid-size” boxships of around 8,000 teu and neo-panamax units of up to 15,000 teu capacity.
Amongst these potential orders, third largest liner operator CMA CGM is understood to be in discussions for six liquefied natural gas dual-fuel, mid-size, ships with Samsung Heavy Industries.
The French carrier is a regular client of the shipbuilder and most recently signed newbuilding contracts there three years ago, for a series of 7,500 teu ships. The first ship in this series, CMA CGM Innovation (IMO: 9951525), was handed over by Samsung in November.
CMA CGM is also said to be in discussions with the same shipbuilder and Samsung's rival HD Hyundai Heavy Industries for up to a dozen neo-panamaxes, potentially to methanol dual-fuel specification.
Meanwhile, Hamburg-based tonnage provider Peter Doehle Schiffahrts is reported by brokers to be about to sign newbuilding contracts for four 14,000 teu neo-panamaxes.
The methanol dual-fuel vessels are expected to be ordered at China's Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding with delivery during the second half of 2027.
Seaspan, the world's largest provider of containerships for the charter market, is expected to order at least 10 alternative-fuel newbuildings of between 9,000 teu and 13,000 teu by the third quarter. They will all be backed by long-term time charters to liner operators Ocean Network Express and Maersk.
Other, undisclosed, shipowners are understood to be in discussions with several Chinese containership builders for neo-panamax units while South Korean shipbuilders are said to be marketing berths for feeder boxships, in addition to berths for the larger containership segments.
With berths at most top-tier shipbuilders in South Korea and China fully booked until at least 2027, delivery dates are likely to be stretched out to 2028 or even 2029, a shipbuilding source told Lloyd's List.
