Swiss liner giant MSC Mediterranean Shipping Co’s appetite for second-hand container ship appears insatiable as brokers report yet another acquisition, this time involving a Peter Dohle Schiffahrts vessel.
The German tonnage providers’ 2,714-teu Ariana (built 2006), a Polish-built vessel, was said by Greek brokers to have been sold to MSC for an undisclosed price.
The Ariana buy comes hot on the heels of a flurry of vessel purchases towards the end of July that saw MSC acquire the 4,892-teu Zhong Gu Jiang Su (built 2010), the 4,500-teu Maersk Launceston (built 2005) and The 4,892-teu Zhong Gu Jiang Su (built 2010), 4,500-teu Maersk Launceston (built 2005) and 2,532-teu Sheffield (built 2003) he 2,532-teu Sheffield (built 2003), all for undisclosed prices.
While MSC has been investing heavily in container ship newbuildings, orders have mostly been for larger vessels.
While MSC does have 14 container ships of between 1,800-teu and 3,700-teu on order at yards in China, for small to medium-sized ships the company has shown a strong preference for second-hand ships in the small to mid-size categories, which has made it one of the most prolific players in the sales and purchase market for many years.
Sources familiar with MSC’s vessel owning strategies say that the company views second-hand vessels as a good hedge against an often-volatile market. Older ships are acquired cheaply to fill immediate capacity needs, and are then sold off, often for scrap, once they are no longer needed.
Mid-age and newer ships are acquired with a longer-term view in the fleet.
These strategies are also clearly seen by MSC’s strong presence in the recycling sector, where it has been providing approved Indian recyclers with a steady volume of scrap tonnage throughout this year.
TradeWinds reported on Monday that MSC has sold yet another two older ships for recycling at Hong Kong Convention-compliant recycling facilities at Alang.
