Chinese liner shipping firm SITC International Holdings Co has placed an order for up to ten containerships at a compatriot shipyard Yangzijiang Shipbuilding.
The contract includes six firm orders for 2,600 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) containerships and includes options for four additional ships (2+2). The contract is worth $162 million.
The six vessels are slated for delivery in 2022 and 2023.
The order is being placed despite the overall impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the shipping and logistics supply chains, which have constrained companies’ interest in renewing fleets with newbuilds.
With a total length of 185.99 meters, the ships will be 35.2 meters wide and have a draft depth of 11 meters. They will feature energy-saving straight S-Bow and an efficient twisted rudder. The feeder series has outstanding performance in fuel efficiency, cargo efficiency, and flexibility, meeting EEDI targets, the shipyard said.
SITC has been active on the newbuilding market over the past few months, having placed an order for six 1, 800 TEU gearless container carriers with China’s Yangzijiang Shipbuilding in August. The company returned to the yard with another order in November, ordering 7 containerships, including two 1,800 TEU, one 2,700 TEU, and four 2,400TEU container ships.