Intra-Asia carrier Heung-A Shipping has sold one of its modern feeder containerships.
The 1,785-teu Heung-A Laem Chabang (built 2016) has been sold to Japanese owner Kotoku Kaiun for about $20m, according to European brokers.
The vessel is the last of three 1,785-teu designs ordered in October 2014 by, or on behalf of, the South Korean carrier for KRW 93.7bn ($86.1m) from Dae Sun Shipbuilding & Engineering in Busan.
It was one of a series of nine Bangkokmax designs that were delivered to Asian owners from the shipyard in 2016 and 2017.
Their extra-wide beam and overall length of 172 metres is the maximum allowed in the Chao Phraya River, on which the Bangkok terminals are located.
Upriver access
Those dimensions allow vessels to serve upriver ports or other terminals with physical constraints.
The acquisition takes the fleet of Kotoku Kaiun to 26 containerships of between 600 teu and 1,800 teu.
All are chartered by Asian carriers and deployed on East Asia regional services.
The Japanese owner is understood to be seeking charter employment for its latest acquisition.
Fleet renewal
Kotoku Kaiun has been renewing its containership fleet.
It has taken delivery this year of a number of small feederships, including the 1,096-teu Estima and 1,714-teu Insight (both built 2018).
At the same time, it sold older vessels including the 607-teu sisterships Padma and Consistence (both built 1995) to Chinese owner Qingdao Pengteng International Ship Management.
