Wan Hai Lines has put 10 of its oldest container ships up for demolition.
The Taiwanese carrier has invited bids on a series of feeder vessels with a 16 December deadline.
Bids are invited on four 1,088-teu vessels and six 1,368-teu vessels aged between 24 and 28 years.
The company specified that they should be dismantled at one of 10 green recycling yards.
Delivery is expected between 13 January and 25 February.
The four smaller demolition candidates are the Wan Hai 161, Wan Hai 162 (both built 1996), Wan Hai 163 and Wan Hai 165 (built 1998).
The larger six are the Wan Hai 215, Wan Hai 216, Wan Hai 221, Wan Hai 222, Wan Hai 223 and Wan Hai 225 (all built 1994).
Wan Hai expects they will be recycled at yards that are certified with the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe & Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships.
The ships are among the oldest in the 145-vessel fleet currently operated by Wan Hai, according to Alphaliner.
Picking-up
The tender marks part of a wider pick-up of demolition activity in the container sector.
“The trickle of vessels entering the market for recycling is starting to grow,” Braemar said in a weekly report.
“This will have an effect on the demo pricing being offered by cash buyers in the short term.”
The shipbroker said at least 14 container vessels have entered the market for recycling.
Another demolition source also said there has been a slight increase in the number of negotiations over the last week.
The vessels are to be recycled at yards specified by Wan Hai, who are also to confirm supervision companies in their sellers’ terms and conditions of sale.
“Not the normal procedure, but one that is frequently becoming more in use in the recycling market in what continues to show progress towards a safer recycling process,” the source told TradeWinds.
