Gianluigi Aponte’s MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company has taken its spending on newbuildings past $5bn this week with an order at China’s Zhoushan Changhong International Shipyard.
Like its previous play at Jiangsu Hantong, the shipowner is providing a catalyst for expansion of the yard, which is creating fresh capacity to meet the demand.
MSC is already the largest container line in the business following a huge investment drive. Having dethroned Maersk as the market leader, it controls more than one-fifth of global boxship capacity.
MSC, an existing Zhoushan Changhong customer, has contracted 12 LNG dual-fuelled 19,000-teu newbuildings featuring type C tanks.
A Zhoushan Changhong official confirmed the order and said the ultra-large boxships are scheduled to be delivered between 2027 and 2029.
The shipyard declined to disclose the price of the ships. Shipbuilding players suggested that it will be about $210m per vessel.
MSC’s vessels will be the largest Zhoushan Changhong has built since making its debut in the shipbuilding business in 2013. It started out by constructing 40,000-dwt handysize bulk carriers.
Sources said Zhoushan Changhong will be expanding its shipbuilding capacity by transforming part of the ship repair facilities that it leases from Jinhai Intelligent Manufacturing. It plans to build some of MSC’s 19,000-teu newbuildings there.
The Zhoushan Changhong official said his company is still evaluating the possibility of constructing newbuildings at Jinhai.
He said some investments will be required to convert the ship repair facility for shipbuilding.
Zhoushan Changhong has rented the Jinhai repair yard for 10 years. The lease started last year.
This is the third newbuilding contract MSC has signed at Zhoushan Changhong.
The first in 2022 was for 10 LNG dual-fuel 11,500-teu vessels for delivery between 2025 and 2026.
Last year, it ordered 10 LNG dual-fuel 10,300-teu boxships for delivery between 2026 and 2027.
MSC is on an order spree. Earlier this week, it was reported to have ordered 10 to 12 LNG dual-fuel vessels of 21,000 teu at Jiangsu Hantong Group, marking the yard’s debut in the container ship segment.
Brokers said the Swiss liner giant is paying $235m each for the mega-size boxships and is scheduled to take delivery between 2027 and 2028.
Jiangsu Hantong will construct the ships on the new dry dock that it will build as part of its capacity expansion.
MSC’s rivals are also eyeing new ships.
Hapag-Lloyd and AP Moller-Maersk are known to be exploring major projects, while CMA CGM and Ocean Network Express are among the big names adding to their orderbooks.
Jiangsu Hantong and Zhoushan Changhong join rivals in opening up fresh capacity to meet demand driven by a multi-year shipping boom.
