[100621.EN.BIZ] MSC Continues Fleet Expansion, Orders 4 New 24,200-TEUers

 

THE Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has ordered four more 24,200-TEUers from Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding and Jiangnan Shipyard, units of China State Shipbuilding Corporation.

Each ship is priced at US$150 million and will be delivered at the end of 2023, according to brokers, reports Container News of Jacksonville and Athens.

In December 2020, MSC ordered six similar-sized vessels from Hudong-Zhonghua, Jiangnan and Yangzijiang Shipbuilding, while the orders were equally assigned to each yard.

ICBC Financial Leasing and CSSC's leasing unit, CSSC (Hong Kong) Shipping are said to be financing MSC's latest orders.

Geneva-based MSC has reached four million TEU of operating capacity with 172 owned ships and 427 chartered vessels, closing in on market leader Maersk Line, whose capacity is 4.11 million TEU.

In the meantime, the Swiss-Italian operator has 40 ships of 724,760 TEU on order, while four 23,000-TEU vessels will be delivered from Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering this year.

MSC also ordered thirteen 16,000-TEUers in April from two other CSSC yards, Guangzhou Shipyard International and Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Company.

MSC has purchased 49 ships since September 2020, when a firming market resulted in a shortage of shipping capacity.

Additionally, earlier this month, the carrier paid $14 million for the Contship Hub and Contship Gem, two 2003-built, 1,102-TEUers the company already had on charter.

Source : HKSG.