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Maersk Line has placed a US$1.8bn order for 11 second generation Triple-E ultra-large containerships (ULC), set to be delivered between April 2017 and May 2018, with an option to order six more.
The Danish shipping line has revealed that the vessels will have a capacity of 19,630 teu each and will measure 400 m long with a draft of 16.5 m.
Søren Toft, chief operating officer at Maersk Line, said: “These vessels will help us stay competitive in the Asia – Europe trade and will be key in our strategy to grow with the market. It is the second order this year and we expect to order more vessels, which we can add to our fleet from 2017 and onwards.”
The price had been reported at US$151m per ship, including extra specifications, but the total bill quoted by Maersk puts this figure at US$163.6m.
Maersk Line signed the new building contract with Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME). The contract was signed by Sung-Leep Jung, president and CEO of DSME, and Søren Skou, CEO of Maersk Line, in Copenhagen.
This is the second new-building order in Maersk Line’s investment programme, following the seven 3,600 teu feeder vessels announced earlier this year. Over the coming five years, Maersk Line is planning to invest US$15bn in new-buildings, retrofitting, containers and other equipment.
Other shipping lines have been similarly investing and Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) paid Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) US$155m each for four 20,150 teu ships set for delivery in 2017.
Meanwhile there is mounting speculation that Hapag-Lloyd will order several 20,000 teu ships and a decision is expected before the end of the year.