Zim is taking 13 containerships on charter from Greece’s Navios Maritime Partners in deals worth about $870m.
The Israeli liner operator will take five secondhand vessels of 3,500 teu to 4,360 teu for four-and-a-half years.
The vessels, to be delivered in the first and second quarters of 2022, will be deployed in its global operations.
Zim has also committed to chartering eight 5,300-teu wide-beam vessels on charters for a little over five years.
They are expected to be deployed in the trades between Asia and Africa.
The wide-beams are scheduled for delivery between the third quarter of 2023 and the final quarter of 2024.
Angeliki Frangou-led Navios has 10 vessels matching this description on order at China’s Zhoushan Changhong International Shipyard.
They were ordered in two stages last year for between $61.6 and $62.5m each.
Brokers reported last year that six of those vessels had been forward-fixed to Zim for delivery for 60 to 64 months at $37,050 per day.
Zim is proving one of the more aggressive players in the charter market this year.
Chief executive Eli Glickman said: “With this latest chartering transaction, we continue to execute on our strategy of chartering in highly versatile vessels to best serve our customers and meet significant and sustained demand across our global network.
“This transaction enhances our position as a global niche operator, contributing immediate much-needed tonnage in required sizes, as well as securing additional high-quality and cost-effective capacity to meet growing demand in the future.
“Looking ahead, we expect to continue to capitalise on opportunities to further strengthen our commercial prospects and support our operational agility, while maintaining our prudent capital allocation strategy to maximise shareholder value.”
The company has made exceptional profits in the past 12 months and analysts have raised their estimates of what it will earn this year.
In the most bullish scenario, Fearnley Securities said Zim could generate Ebitda of between $8bn and $9bn this year.
Zim is starting to take a more independent role in operating on some trades formerly operated with partners.
In January, it revealed that it is cutting back on the number of services operated with 2M Alliance partners AP Moller-Maersk and Mediterranean Shipping Co.
Last week, Zim announced the enhancement of its Latin America regional services, including the introduction of a new Venezuela feeder and the upgrade of two existing lines.
