Mediterranean Shipping Co (MSC) has snapped up more container ships from the secondhand market.
The Geneva-based liner giant has taken in another four vessels, although the pace of its acquisition spree appears to be slowing.
The two latest acquisitions take MSC’s spending spree in recent weeks to over $60m.
These include the 4,253-teu Genova (built 2007), which the company has purchased from XT Shipping of Israel for $45m, according to various broking sources.
The liner giant is also forking out around $25m to buy the 2,714-teu X-Press Makalu (built 2008) from Singapore-based Sea Consortium.
MSC has plundered the sale-and-purchase market for the past two years to acquire more than 250 boxships.
But where it remains in the market for vessels, the cooling freight and charter markets appear to be making the liner operator more selective.
Northern J-type
The carrier is poised to take delivery in the coming days of the 8,814-teu Northern Jasper (built 2009).
That will be the third in a series of Northern-J type container ships that the liner giant purchased from V.Ships Hamburg.
Two sisterships, the MSC Mumbai VIII (ex-Northern Jade) and MSC Mundra VIII (ex-Northern Julie, both built 2005), were acquired in 2021 for $85m each.
Another sistership, the 8,800-teu Northern Jupiter (built 2010), went to AP Moller-Maersk in June for a reported $130m.
A fourth vessel, which has ended up in the MSC fleet, is the 951-teu Okee Lilo (built 1998).
It is one of the many secondhand purchases that are being deployed to upgrade or initiate new regional services.
The vessel operates as the MSC Lilo F in the intra-Mediterranean trades.
Regional trades
Several other recently acquired vessels are being added to MSC’s intra-Asian trades for services starting in November.
That includes the new Dolphin service, which MSC will launch on 2 November using the 2,741-teu MSC Cape III (built 2007).
The vessel was purchased for $33m as the Cape Mayor from Cyprus-based Schoeller Holdings in mid-2021.
MSC is also revamping its New Origami intra-Asia service connecting Japan using the 3,700-teu MSC Ameera III (built 2008).
The vessel, formerly the Northern Decision, was purchased from V.Ships Hamburg in June for $44m.
MSC will also upgrade its Seahorse service with an extension to China with the 2,732-teu MSC Colette III (built 2008), another vessel bought in March this year from companies linked to UK-based Borealis Maritime.
The purchases add to the portfolio of secondhand vessels that MSC has acquired from the resale market, which now numbers 296 ships since 2020, according to LinerLytica.
That has increased MSC’s share of owned ships in its fleet from 51% to 69%, lifting its fleet size over the past two years, growing from 3.75m teu at the start of 2020 to 4.45m teu, the analyst added.
The second-largest purchaser of secondhand vessels is French liner operator CMA CGM, which has bought around 85 ships since August 2020.
The Marseilles-based operator recently emerged as the new owner of the 4,506-teu panamax Osaka (built 2008).
The Osaka was reportedly acquired earlier in the summer from Sea Consortium for around $60m.
