Busy boxship dealmaker MPC Container Ships is said to be making a move in the secondhand market again.
This time, it is believed to be active on the selling side, offloading the 1,500-teu AS Rosalia (built 2009) at an undisclosed price.
Greece’s Contships Management, the world’s largest independent owner of boxships with a capacity between 900 teu and 1,500 teu, is said to be the buyer.
Both companies declined to comment.
“While we will not comment on specific rumours, we are committed to diligently pursuing opportunities that align with our fleet renewal strategy as well as our sustainability and financial goals,” an MPC spokesman said.
Last month, brokers in London and Athens reported that MPC sold a sister ship to the AS Rosalia, the 1,500-teu AS Romina (built 2009). Serial vessel buyer MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company was identified as the buyer for $7m.
The two sales would align with MPC’s fleet renewal strategy if confirmed.
As TradeWinds already reported, the company sold a pair of older, less-efficient vessels in July to shipping newcomer Castle Harbour Capital for $42.5m en bloc.
At the same time, MPC spent $136.4m to acquire five modern, eco-design vessels from Lomar Shipping and has four container ship newbuildings under construction.
Contships principal Nikolas Pateras has made more than 50 feeder ship acquisitions since setting up the company from scratch in 2015.
Contships is betting that feeders will remain popular with charterers and enjoy ample trading opportunities due to a lack of port infrastructure to handle bigger vessels in some parts of the world.
According to London brokers, two of its ships were fixed last month for six months at about $12,500 per day — the 1,118-teu Contship Sky (built 2008), taken by Container Freight Services, and the 1,116-teu Contship Lex (built 2006) by SeaLead Shipping.
