It’s still just market rumors, but experts believe there are many signs pointing to Hapag-Lloyd: another major newbuilding order could be on the cards.
Brokers report that a “major European liner shipping company” is said to have invited Korean shipyards to submit bids for a series of up to 20 LNG-powered ships, each with a capacity of 13,000 TEU.
As things stand, any of the four European companies – i.e. MSC, Maersk, CMA CGM or Hapag-Lloyd – are eligible. According to the usually well-informed analysts at Alphaliner, however, such an order would best suit Hapag-Lloyd. The Hamburg-based company has the greatest demand in this segment, they say.
Hapag-Lloyd’s current order book still contains the last two Megamax freighters (24,000 TEU) from Hanwha, which are due to be delivered soon. In addition, the world’s No. 5 in container shipping ordered 24 newbuildings from Yangzijiang Shipbuilding (YZJ) in China in October last year, including twelve units with 16,800 TEU. A further twelve ships with a capacity of between 8,300 TEU and 9,200 TEU will be built by New Times Shipbuilding (NTS). A further seven ships of this size will be built by YZJ.
If ordered in Korea, the potential new orders would cost more than $180 million, whereas in China they would be significantly cheaper at $155 million to $160 million.
