Ningbo Ocean Shipping Co (Nbosco) is being linked to a newbuilding order worth up to $200m for eight feeder-size boxships to be built in China.
The Shanghai-listed carrier contracted four 1,058-teu vessels at Taizhou Jianxing Shipyard this month with options for four more, market sources said.
The price was not given, but ships of this type are estimated to cost about $24m each, according to Clarksons Research.
Delivery of the firm quartet is expected by the end of 2025.
They are designed for the Chinese domestic trades and will fly the Chinese flag, according to Alphaliner.
Nbosco deploys a fleet of containerships, bulkers and multipurpose vessels.
Most of its boxships are traded domestically but an increasing number of its larger designs trade between China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.
The latest order lifts Nbosco’s orderbook to 14 vessels, ranging in capacity from 700 teu to 3,000 teu.
The 3,000-teu vessels, under construction at Yangzijiang Shipbuilding, are due to hit the water by the first half of next year and will be deployed in China’s coastal trades.
It also has three 1,400-teu vessels under construction at Penglai Zhongbai Jinglu Shipyard, as well as four 700-teu ships being built at Taizhou Wuzhou.
Nbosco, part of the Zhejiang Provincial Seaport Investment & Operation Group, is ranked 29th among the world’s liner companies with 75 vessels with a total capacity of 62,251 teu, according to Alphaliner.
