The shipping company Tailwind Shipping Lines has taken another Elbdeich newbuilding, the “Panda 04”, into charter.
The Elbdeich shipping company, part of the USC Barnkrug shipping group, has ordered a total of six “SMB 1400” container feeder ships, each with a capacity of 1,400 TEU, in China. Penglai Jinglu Shipyard has now delivered the second Tailwind unit, the “Panda 04”.
With the delivery, the ship will enter the charter service of the shipping company of the Lidl food group. In future, it will be deployed in the Far East-Europe service “Panda”, where Panamax units were previously underway.
Elbdeich builds for Tailwind and Ellerman
Ellerman Lines, a niche provider similar to Tailwind but focusing more on the Atlantic, is charting two other newbuilds.
The “SMB 1400” ships are 170 m long and 26.90 m (10 rows) wide. Thanks to ice class 1A, they are also suitable for use in wintry northern Europe. According to the information provided, they also have hydraulically opening hatch covers and space for oversized 45-foot intermodal containers. Propulsion is provided by a MAN B&W engine, which allows a speed of 18.5 knots. There is space on board for up to 378 reefer containers.
In addition to Elbdeich, the Nordic Hamburg shipping company has also ordered four of these ships, all of which will be going into long-term charter periods with BG Freight Line.
Smaller feeders for Elbdeich coming in 2026
In addition to six 1,400 TEU feeders, the shipping company managed by Jens Moje has also ordered four smaller newbuildings, each with 1,250 TEU, from the Chinese Wenchong shipyard (GWS). According to earlier information, these are ships with dual-fuel engines that can run on LNG, but will also be able to run on methanol in future. The ships will be delivered from the beginning of 2026 and the feeder shipping company Unifeeder has reportedly signed a contract for all four newbuilds.
