Aponte family-led Mediterranean Shipping Co is being named as the buyer behind a KRW 903.9bn ($762.3m) order for five ultra-large containership newbuildings announced by South Korean shipbuilder DSME.
The yard made a statement on the contract today without naming the buyer.
Shipbuilding sources named MSC as the client, detailing that the 23,000-teu newbuildings, which are priced at around $152m each, will be fitted with exhaust gas emission scrubbers.
One commented that the price was "in line" with other Korean yards that have secured contracts for similar sized ships.
A spokesman for MSC told TradeWinds: “MSC has some optional arrangements with DSME related to previous orders. We have not confirmed a new order.”
MSC has worked with DSME on boxship business before and newbuilding market watchers speculate that the shipyard could be referring to optional slots it is holding for the owner.
In September 2017 MSC inked an order for five ultra large boxships with DSME at a reported price of KRW 926.6bn.
These ships are due for delivery from March 2020 onwards.
MSC recently took delivery of the fifth in a series of 11 vessels in the 23,000-teu size range, with five ordered at DSME and six at compatriot Samsung Heavy Industries.
In September, the 23,656-teu MSC Arina (built 2019) was handed over to MSC, making it the third of the DSME quintet following delivery of sisterships MSC Isabella (built 2019) in August and the MSC Mina in July.
The MSC Arina is on a long-term lease from Mi-Das Line, an investment vehicle controlled by Japanese company Doun Kisen Kaisha.
MSC deploys the vessel on its services between North Europe and Asia within the framework of the 2M Vessel Sharing Agreement of Maersk and MSC, where they are gradually replacing ships of 18,340-20,568-teu.
Alphaliner refers to the vessels as “megamax 24” ships because they are one row wider than the first generation of 19,000-20,000-teu vessels.
The ships also feature an increased breadth of about 61.4 metres allowing to stow 24 rows of containers on deck, against 23 rows for the first generation. CMA CGM and HMM also have megamax 24 newbuildings under construction.
