South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries today confirmed it has won a $700 million order to build five of the world’s largest container ships for China Shipping Container Lines.
CSCL’s ships will have a capacity of 18,400 20-foot-equivalent units apiece and thus will be 400 TEUs larger than the 18,000-TEU vessels ordered by Maersk Line. At $140 million, they also will be $50 million cheaper than the Danish line’s vessels being built by a rival Korean yard, Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine.
Hyundai will start delivering the vessels in the second half of 2014, more than a year after Maersk deploys the first of its 20 mega-ships on the Far East-Europe route in June.
The Hyundai ships, which will also ply the Asia-Europe route, will be fitted with eco-ballast sea water treatment systems and electronically controlled main engines that automatically adjust fuel consumption to sailing speed and ocean condition.
United Arab Shipping Co., which partners with CSCL on the Asia-Europe trade, is also reported to be close to placing an order for 18,400-TEU ships.
