SOUTH KOREAN shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries has secured an order for six 8,800-TEU, wide beam ships to join the Mediterranean Shipping Company's fleet on long-term charters.

Half of the box ships on order will be built for Ofer Bros and the remainder for the Schulte Group, with delivery slated to begin in September 2012.

"It brings to 18 the number of 8,800 to 9,000-TEU wide beam units ordered for MSC account during the past six months," Alphaliner said.

This latest order "follows an order for six units of 9,000-TEU wide beam design at the Shanghai's Jiangnan Changxing shipyard in September by Costamare (three units) and Schulte (three units) and backed by a long-term charter agreement to MSC," it said, as well as an order this year for "six 8,800-TEU wide beam ships passed in January at Sungdong Shipbuilding by Costamare (two units) and MSC itself (four units)."

The report said all of the containerships are scheduled for delivery from the end of 2012 until early 2014.