Containership orderbook hits new high – yards have contracts for 1,000+

Appetite for large ships has not gone away, despite feeder vessels dominating recent boxship orders.

Taiwanese liner operator Evergreen has chosen South Korea’s Samsung Heavy Industries and China’s Guangzhou Shipyard International to build 14 14,000 teu ships between them.

The $2.8bn orders are expected to be delivered between 2028 and 2029.

Meanwhile, South Korean mid-tier shipbuilder DH Shipbuilding has won its first boxship orders in three years. Japanese tonnage provider Doun Kisen commissioned two 8,800 teu ships for $211m, to be delivered in 2028. A charterer has not been revealed.

Finally, Greece’s Alberta Shipmanagement, mainly active in bulk carriers and tankers, has entered the container segment with orders for up to four 1,900 teu ships at CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding. Two will be delivered in 2027, with options for two more. The ships are priced around $30m.

MB Shipbrokers said: “The week’s activity reflects firm momentum across the feeder and mid-sized segment, with more projects expected to materialise before the end of the year.”

And Alphaliner’s report this week stated that, at more than 10m teu and more than 1,000 ships on order, the orderbook for container vessels was at an all-time high.

Despite US president Donald Trump’s bid to tackle China’s dominance in shipbuilding with port levies on Chinese-built vessels, Chinese shipyards still have the lion’s share of current boxship orders – about 74%. This is followed by 21% for South Korean shipbuilders and 4% for Japan. Shipyards elsewhere are building the remaining 5% of box ship orders.

Japanese newspaper Nikkei Daily reported yesterday that the country’s largest shipbuilder, Imabari, and its compatriot peers plan to invest $2.3bn to upgrade their facilities to better compete against the Chinese and South Korean rivals that have overtaken them with larger facilities and lower pricing.

Particularly, Japanese shipbuilders are hoping Mr Trump’s stance on China’s dominance could divert more newbuilding orders to them.