Israeli carrier Zim and German tonnage provider MPC Capital have agreed a $600m charter deal for six wide-beam container ships.
The New York-listed liner operator will take the 5,500-teu vessels on seven-year charters.
The vessels, due for delivery in May 2023 and February 2024, are under construction at South Korea’s HJ Shipbuilding & Construction (HJSC), formerly known as Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction.
Zim chief executive Eli Glickman described the deal as “another attractive chartering transaction for newbuild vessels” that secures “modern and efficient tonnage vessels which are ideally suited to serve on our expanded network of expedited services, as well as other regional services”.
“We continue to advance our strategy of chartering in highly versatile vessels to strengthen our commercial prospects, maintain our flexibility and enhance our position as an innovative provider of seaborne transportation,” he said.
MPC Capital ordered four 5,500-teu newbuildings last October at a reported cost of $260m.
The deal included two options and was HJSC’s first since 2014.
The German owner described the ships as having “state-of-the-art” specifications allowing for a 40% reduction in fuel consumption compared with existing vessels.
They will be prepared for conversion to carbon-neutral operations using green methanol.
In February, TradeWinds reported that HJSC is in talks with the Hamburg-based asset and investment manager for four conventionally fuelled ships of 6,000 teu.
Aggressive charters
Zim is proving one of the more aggressive players in the charter market.
The revitalised carrier has committed to long-term charters of more than 40 vessels, including of 7,000 teu and 15,000 teu, from leading tonnage providers such as Seaspan, Navios Group, Eastern Pacific Shipping and Regional Container Lines.
In February, Zim committed to taking 13 container ships on charter from Greece’s Navios Maritime Partners in deals worth about $870m.
These include eight 5,300-teu wide-beam vessels on charters for a little over five years for deployment in the trades between Asia and Africa.
The wide-beams are scheduled for delivery from China’s Zhoushan Changhong International Shipyard between the third quarter of 2023 and the final quarter of 2024.
