Greek shipowner Chartworld Shipping is expanding its container ship fleet with new orders placed at New Dayang Shipbuilding under Sumec Marine.
It is reported that Chartworld Shipping has signed a letter of intent with New Dayang Shipbuilding for 2+2 3,100 TEU container ships, scheduled for delivery in 2028. Each vessel is priced at approximately $42 million, with the total transaction value reaching around $168 million (about RMB 1.205 billion) if the optional orders are confirmed.
For reference, Clarksons’ data shows that the current newbuilding price for a 2,900 TEU container ship is about $45 million, an 8% increase compared to $41.5 million during the same period last year.
Chartworld is actively optimizing its fleet through both newbuilds and secondhand vessels. Clarksons’ data indicates that Chartworld owns and operates 75 vessels, including 37 bulk carriers, 20 container ships, 11 tankers, and 7 reefer ships. Additionally, the company has four MR product tankers under construction at New Yangzi Shipbuilding, expected to be delivered in 2026.
Chartworld is a long-standing customer of New Dayang Shipbuilding. Previously, the company ordered two Crown 63 3.0 bulk carriers from the shipyard, the “STAR OCEAN” and “STAR OPAL,” which were successfully named and delivered in May this year.
Chartworld’s last container ship order was in 2021 when it placed an order for four 13,000 TEU-class container ships at New Times Shipbuilding. Two of these vessels were resold to Germany’s Hapag-Lloyd, while the other two were leased to Hapag-Lloyd under long-term agreements.
Earlier this year, reports suggested that the company signed a letter of intent with Hengli Heavy Industry for four 4,300 TEU medium-sized container ships and was in discussions with Sanfu Shipbuilding for at least four similar vessels, though none of these orders have been finalized.
This marks New Dayang Shipbuilding’s second recent container ship order. In May, the shipyard won a bid to build two 1,100 TEU feeder container ships for Minsheng Shipping, signaling its return to the container ship construction market after a four-year hiatus.
New Dayang Shipbuilding has long been known for building bulk carriers. In 2021, it secured orders for four 1,170 TEU methanol dual-fuel feeder ships from Singapore’s X-Press Feeders and four 4,500 TEU conventional vessels from Trust Shipping. All eight ships have since been delivered. Following these orders, the shipyard had not constructed any container ships until now.
In recent years, New Dayang Shipbuilding has adhered to a green, low-carbon, energy-saving, and environmentally friendly development strategy while continuously optimizing its product portfolio. Earlier this year, the shipyard successfully entered the tanker market, securing its first MR product tanker order.
Excluding the latest order, Clarksons’ data shows that Sumec Marine’s New Dayang Shipbuilding currently has a backlog of 74 vessels totaling 4.5 million deadweight tons, including 67 bulk carriers, four tankers, two container ships, and one offshore vessel, with deliveries scheduled through 2028.
