MPC Container Ships is mulling an order for up to four container ship newbuildings in China.
Shipbuilding players said the Oslo-listed company has inked a letter of intent with Hengli Heavy Industry for two firm 4,350-teu newbuildings with options for additional two ships.
The company is said to have opted for conventional marine fuel to power the midsize vessels.
They said MPC Container is likely to firm up the newbuilding order once it has secured employment contracts.
Brokers put the cost of the 4,360-teu boxships at between $59m and $60m each. They said the delivery dates for the firm vessels will be “early” as they are lined up for delivery during the first half of 2026.
“We are constantly screening the market for interesting opportunities (secondhand and newbuildings) in particular in MPCC’s core size segments,” chief executive Constantin Baack said in an email to TradeWinds.
“As such, we are in dialogue with many parties — owners, brokers, and, of course, also yards.”
Baack said he was unable to confirm the possible boxship order as MPC Container does not comment on market rumours.
Second newbuild contract
Should MPC Container firm up the Hengli Heavy order, it will mark the company’s second newbuilding contract placed this year.
In June, it co-ordered one methanol-capable 1,250-teu newbuilding with Dubai-based feeder operator Unifeeder at CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding.
The single feeder boxship, to be delivered in 2026, is chartered by Unifeeder.
Clarksons’ Shipping Intelligence Network shows MPC Container also has two methanol-fuelled 1,300-teu container ships being built at Taizhou Sanfu Ship Engineering.
The pair of feeder vessels was ordered in 2022 to serve a 15-year contract of affreightment with Norwegian chemical group Elkem.
The ships are scheduled to be delivered in December this year and May 2025 for trading in the North Sea. The feeder vessels will be operated by Norway’s North Sea Container Line.
Previously known as STX Dalian, Hengli Heavy is expanding its shipbuilding capacity by putting down CNY 11bn ($1.5bn) to build the yard’s phase 2 project, which will have an annual shipbuilding capacity of 1.8m dwt as well as 1.8m tonnes of steel processing capacity.
The new facility will lift Hengli Heavy’s annual shipbuilding capacity to 7.1m tonnes, more than twice its current output.
The shipbuilder plans to construct high-value-added green ships and advanced offshore equipment, including VLCCs, VLGCs, ultra-large container ships, offshore floating production units, storage tankers, drillships and other specialised vessels.
Hengli Heavy is set to go public via Hengli Group company’s Guangdong Songfa Ceramics, which is listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange.
The ceramics company will take over 100% of Hengli Heavy and then focus on shipbuilding.
