Greece’s Embiricos family is selling another wide-beam container ship to CMA CGM for a fraction of the price that it obtained earlier for a sister ship.
The 6,881-teu Amoliani (built 2013) is being sold for around $61m — less than half what the Greek owner got last year for an identical vessel.
The CMA CGM Voltaire (ex-Rhodos, built 2013) was sold to the French line in January 2022 for a reported $140m.
But that was a record deal that enabled the Greek owner to double its money on the vessel it acquired as a newbuilding.
So while the sale of the Amoliani reflects the sharp fall in values, brokers believe the price remains firm and bodes well in the current market.
The scarcity of prompt tonnage in the charter market is keeping the values of larger vessels firm, they said.
The price of the wide-beam design is much higher than for standard 6,600-teu designs, which fetch closer to $40m, according to Clarksons’ assessments.
The Amoliani is one of three boxships that Embiricos-linked International Maritime Enterprises ordered in 2011 at Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries for $72m apiece.
The Skiathos (built 2013) — another ship in that group — was sold to SFL Corp in May 2021 and has been trading as the SFL Maui since then.
Charter spree
CMA CGM is buying boxships when it is also splurging in the charter market.
The company has accounted for around 20% of boxship charters so far this year, according to Braemar estimates.
Last week, the Marseille-based operator took the 9,200-teu Akadimos (built 2015) for two years at $47,000 per day.
It has kept up the pace in the sub-panamax sector with fixtures of three newbuildings chartered from Cyprus Green World.
The 2,713-teu Cape Scott, Cape Spencer and Cape Skagen (all built 2023) have been taken for two years at around $22,500 per day, according to brokers.
Cyprus Green World is building six ships in the series with the backing of Cyprus-based Schoeller Holdings and Danish partner Navigare Capital.
The first three vessels will be delivered from CSSC Guangzhou Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding in China in the second half of this year, with the other three to follow in 2024.
CMA CGM has a taste for newer tonnage and has also fixed a Bangkokmax design from Briese Schiffahrt.
The 1,800-teu newbuilding Siargao (built 2023) has reportedly been fixed for 12 to 15 months at $15,500 per day.
The liner giant is also fixing older vessels including the 2,496-teu Groton (built 2002), which has been taken from Greek owner Conbulk for one year at $15,500 per day.
It has also taken the 1,267-teu Contship Ace and 1,118-teu Contship Ray (both built 2008) from Greece’s Contships Management for 12 months at between $12,500 and $13,500 per day.
Meanwhile, Capital Ship Management is believed to have fixed a second of its dual-fuel LNG-ready feeder newbuildings.
The 1,809-teu Adamastos (built 2023) has been taken by CU Lines for six months at $18,500 per day for trading in the transpacific.
