Evergreen Marine orders 23 containerships worth $1.47 billion, enhancing its fleet amid strong demand for smaller vessels.
Evergreen Marine Corp has placed orders for 23 containerships at two Chinese shipyards in a programme valued at up to US$1.47 billion, reported London's Lloyd's List. This move underscores the Taiwanese carrier's push to expand its fleet amid strong demand for smaller vessel segments.
The Taipei-listed company stated that its board approved contracts for 16 feeders of 3,100 TEU and seven mid-size ships of 5,900 TEU.
The 3,100 TEU vessels will be built at CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding, with prices ranging between $46 million and $56 million each, totaling between $736 million and $896 million.
The seven 5,900 TEU ships were ordered at Jiangsu New Yangzi Shipbuilding, with unit prices ranging from US$67 million to US$82 million, bringing the contract value to between US$469 million and US$574 million.
These orders continue a wave of fleet renewal in smaller boxship segments, where order-to-fleet ratios remain lower than for larger vessels. MB Shipbrokers noted that demand is robust across feeder and mid-size categories.
Evergreen ranks seventh among global container carriers, with a capacity nearing two million TEU, trailing Ocean Network Express by about 120,000 TEU, according to Linerlytica.
With the new contracts, Evergreen's order book will rise to nearly 930,000 TEU, compared to ONE's backlog of about 780,000 TEU, positioning the Taiwanese line for potential gains in global rankings as deliveries proceed.
The company did not disclose delivery schedules, stating that payment and handover terms will follow contract provisions.
