News / Feeder vessels still the focus of newbuilding orders

Photo: VesselFinder

Newbuilding orders this week have again been dominated by feeder ships.

With regional trades outperforming long-haul lanes combined with an ageing feeder fleet, recent newbuilding activity has been centred on this ship size.

“While some market views expect the general container market to moderate somewhat during 2026, the current strong appetite for newbuildings in the tanker and LNG segments, is in our opinion, likely to keep price levels unchanged for the foreseeable future, even in the event of softer demand,” MB Shipbrokers said.

South Korean regional shipping line KMTC ordered six 1,900 teu ships at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HD-HHI) for delivery in 2028. They would be constructed at the premises of the former HD Hyundai Mipo, which merged with HD-HHI in December.

The vessels, costing $305.1m, are expected to be deployed on intra-Asia services.

Shanghai Jin Jiang Shipping (JJ Shipping), the liner operating subsidiary of Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG), contracted four 1,900 teu ships at Yangzijiang Shipbuilding, with options for another four.

JJ Shipping, which has been expanding its intra-Asia routes, said the newbuildings fit its strategy and it planned to roll out more services linking East Asia to South-east Asia.

The carrier now sits at 32 in the list of largest shipping lines, with 54 vessels, amounting to 63,537 teu, equally split between owned and chartered tonnage.

Meanwhile, Cosco continues to promote battery-powered shipping, commissioning a 540 teu vessel at affiliate Cosco Shipping Heavy Industry (Guangdong) for delivery in 2027. The vessel, like the two 700 teu battery-operated ships already in the fleet, is expected to operate in China’s inland waterway network.

In the larger vessel segments, South Korea’s HJ Shipbuilding received its first orders for 10,000 teu ships, from an undisclosed European shipowner, for $120.6m each. According to The Loadstar’s sources, the customer is believed to be Greek non-operating shipowner Navios Maritime Partners. Delivery is expected in 2028.