Cosmoship Management of Greece has returned to China’s CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding with an order for feeder containerships that could cost $92m if all options are exercised.
The Nikos Savvas-led company has signed a newbuilding contract for a pair of 1,500-teu containerships, according to the state-owned shipyard. The deal includes options for two additional vessels.
Huangpu Wenchong did not disclose the ships' delivery date or their price tag.
But shipbuilding sources said the feeder boxships, which will meet Tier III of the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) efficiency standards, would cost Cosmoship between $22m and $23m apiece.
Wenchong is believed to be scheduled to deliver the ships from the first half of 2022.
The last time Cosmoship ordered newbuildings at Huangpu Wenchong was in 2017, when the company signed up for four 1,500-teu vessels. The outfit took delivery of the quartet — the FSL Singapore, FSL Kelang, FSL Colombo and FSL Kolkata (all built 2020) — last year.
According to Clarksons, Cosmoship currently has a fleet of 30 vessels that is made up of 20 bulkers and 10 feeder containerships.
Its latest acquisition move comes after the company was reported to have acquired two secondhand supramax bulkers at the end of last year.
Cosmoship bought the 57,000-dwt supramaxes Ellie (built 2011) and Dimi (built 2012) from Soloi Inc for $17.8m en bloc. The company has renamed the duo as Legacy and Olympic, respectively.
Huangpu Wenchong is one of the several shipyards under the control of China State Shipbuilding Corp (CSSC).
