News / MSC spending spree goes on: this week a dozen new box ships

MSC has again shown its appetite for newbuildings is far from over, this week ordering eight 11,500 teu ships from Penglai Zhongbai Jinglu Shipyard and four at 5,000 teu from Yangzhou Guoyu Shipbuilding.

The Swiss-Italian operator has doubled its orders at Jinglu, having contracted eight similar units there in 2024. All 16, priced at $140m each, will be delivered in 2029. The 5,000 teu newbuildings are around $50m each.

Newbuilding orders this week continue to be dominated by mid-sized and feeder vessels, as regional and intra-Asia trades continue to be seen as bright spots.

Zhonggu Logistics, China’s largest inland container shipping line, expanded further into the mid-sized segment, booking two 6,000 teu ships at China Merchants Jinling Shipyard (Nanjing), supplementing the four it contracted at Hengli Heavy Industry last week. Each is priced at around $84m.

The Hengli order comes with options for two more ships, and Zhonggu’s filing to the Shanghai Stock Exchange says that so far this year, it has committed $667m to newbuildings, estimated to hit the water in 2028.

Greek tonnage provider Conbulk has added to its orderbook, exercising options for a 5,000 teu pair at Yangzhou Guoyu, following its order for two ships in November, Conbulk’s first for containerships. The fleet had been centred on secondhand purchases. The newbuildings will enter service in 2028.

SITC International, parent of Hong Kong-based intra-Asia carrier SITC Container Lines, has ordered two 2,700 teu ships from Huanghai Shipbuilding costing $76.36m. These follow an order for four similar vessels last August and two in October. Delivery will be between 2028 and 2029.

SITC said in a Hong Kong Stock Exchange filing it wanted to raise the proportion of owned tonnage to manage high chartering costs.

MB Shipbrokers said: “The appetite for feeder and mid-size vessels seems primarily driven by non-operating owners, while projects for 10,000 teu and above are almost exclusively led by liner operators.”