Lomar Shipping is selling three modern sub-panamax container ships in a deal that takes the total it has sold this year to more than 20 container vessels.

The UK-based shipping company is hiving-off another three 2,700-teu container vessels in an en-bloc deal for slightly less than $150m, according to container shipping sources.

The 2,782-teu California Trader and Carolina Trader (both built 2017) and Delaware Trader (built 2018) are understood to have been sold for between $48m and $49m each.

Market sources name the buyer as Taiwanese operator Wan Hai Lines which recently secured additional funds to continue a long-running boxship buying spree.

Lomar is selling the wide-beam ships for what appears to be a sizeable profit.

The company ordered the vessels at China's Yangzijiang Shipbuilding in 2015 and 2016 for around $31m each.

A fourth vessel in the series is owned by Singapore-based Sea Consortium and operates as the X-Press Kabru (built 2018).

The vessels were designed by the Marine Design & Research Institute of China (MARIC).

TradeWinds estimates the vessels are being sold after nearly five years of trading for a profit in excess of $17m per vessel.

The ships appear to be sold with the balance of relatively low paying charters through to the second half of 2022.

Wan Hai unleashes fire-power

The move comes after Wan Hai secured more than $520m for secondhand vessel acquisition this year.

Earlier this month the worlds 10th largest liner operator unveiled plans to spend a further $320m on such vessels, on top of $200m already secured.

That is quickly being spent with 18 boxships acquired by Wan Hai since December 2020, according to VesselsValue estimates.

The tally could grow with Wan Hai reportedly forking out $55m for another traditional panamax-sized boxship.

In early December Wan Hai Lines secured a further $320m for acquisition of secondhand container ships. Photo: The Northwest Seaport Alliance

The unidentified vessel, built in 2003, is slated for delivery to Wan Hai in March and April 2022, according to UK brokers.

That is in line with the $65m that Danish giant Maersk is reportedly paying Japanese owners for the 4,506-teu Cosco Kawasaki (built 2010).

Strong charter market

Liner operators are snapping-up secondhand containerships at a time when the high-priced charter market leaves them few alternatives.

A sistership to the ships Lomar has sold, the 2,700-teu Cape Hellas (built 2021), was recently fixed for 30 months at a strong $54,000 per day, according to brokers.

Greek owner Cape Shipping reportedly fixed the vessel to a UK-based forwarding company called Uniserve.

Older vessels like the 2,798-teu Porto (built 2010), owned by Laeisz Schiffahrt of Germany, have also been forward fixed to Israeli operator Zim for three years with delivery in May next year at $39,000 per day.

Lomar, a subsidiary of George Logothetis-run Libra Group, has made a killing in the secondhand market for container ships in the past year.

The shipping company is estimated to have sold 22 ships of 1,000 teu up to 6,000 teu, including ten which have gone to Mediterranean Shipping Co (MSC), according to VesselsValue.

Taking advantage of unprecedented boom in the market, the company is estimated to have raised more than $750m via the sale of container vessels in the past year.