Major boxship player Danaos Corp has given its newbuilding plan an extra boost after securing employment for all the vessels it has under construction.
The US-listed owner of nearly 70 container ships on the water disclosed in financial earnings late on Monday that it has ordered one 9,200-teu unit.
The vessel is on top of the four sister ships it announced last month at Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co.
This brings the number newbuildings that Danaos owner John Coustas has contracted over the past two years at Chinese and South Korean yards to 20 boxships — for a total outlay estimated by TradeWinds at about $1.8bn.
The first of these ships have already started joining the fleet, with Dalian delivering the 7,200-teu Interasia Accelerate (built 2024) during the second quarter and DH Shipbuilding handing over the 8,000-teu Catherine C and Greenland (both built 2024).
Danaos said on Monday it had secured long-term employment for all its newbuildings, with an average contract duration of 4.5 years.
“Forthcoming environmental legislation has further incentivised liner companies to secure modern newbuilding tonnage for medium-term requirements,” Coustas said in the earnings release.
All of Danaos’ newbuildings will be methanol fuel-ready, fitted with open-loop scrubbers and alternative maritime power units and built to the International Maritime Organization’s Tier III emission and Energy Efficiency Design Index Phase III standards.
TradeWinds has reported that Hapag-Lloyd has agreed to charter at least six of the seven 8,258-teu currently under construction for Danaos at Yangzijiang Shipbuilding, scheduled for delivery in 2026 and 2027.
According to a presentation separately released by Danaos late on Monday, the company’s five 9,200-teu methanol-ready newbuildings at Dalian will be earning $50,000 per day on five-year employment with an unidentified charterer — from their deliveries in 2027 and 2028 through to 2032 and 2033.
The seven 8,258-teu units currently at Yangzijiang have been fixed for the same duration at $42,000 per day.
