Greek shipping company Alpha Bulkers is shifting its focus to the container ship market after years of deep involvement in the Supramax to Capesize dry bulk sector. Currently, Alpha Bulkers has become the latest owner to enter the feeder container ship sector by launching a program for 11 newbuild container ships.
According to French shipping consultancy Alphaliner, Alpha Bulkers’ 11 new container ships will be built in three specifications: 1,900 TEU, 3,100 TEU, and 4,500 TEU. All vessels will utilize conventional fuel and will be constructed by three Chinese shipyards. This ship type has become a standard configuration in the charter market due to its flexibility and adaptability across various routes.
Although the contract price for this series of orders has not been disclosed, based on market prices from Chinese shipyards, the unit cost for 1,900 TEU, 3,100 TEU, and 4,500 TEU container ships is approximately $30 million, $45 million, and $57 million to $59 million per vessel, respectively.
Yangzijiang Shipbuilding to Construct Three Container Ships
Specifically, Yangzijiang Shipbuilding will be responsible for constructing three 1,900 TEU container ships. Industry sources indicate that the relevant contracts were actually signed several months ago but were only disclosed publicly recently. Based on market construction costs, the total order value is approximately $90 million.
According to Yangzijiang Shipbuilding’s third-quarter performance update for 2025 released in mid-November, as of September 30, 2025, the group secured new orders for 50 vessels valued at $2.17 billion, including 38 container ships, 10 bulk carriers, and 2 gas carriers.
Yangzijiang Shipbuilding is China’s largest privately-owned shipbuilding group, specializing in container ships, bulk carriers, and clean energy ships. It oversees subsidiaries including New Yangzi Shipbuilding, Yangtze Xinfu Shipbuilding, and Yangtze Mitsui Shipbuilding. Currently, the Yangtze Hongyuan Shipbuilding project, with an investment of approximately RMB 3 billion, is progressing according to schedule and is slated for completion by the end of 2026.
The Yangzi Hongyuan Green High-Tech Clean Energy Ship Manufacturing Base project will utilize a coastline of approximately 1,320 meters and cover an area of about 1,300 mu (around 866,667 square meters). It will include one 300,000-ton shipbuilding dock, one 200,000-ton outfitting wharf, and one 100,000-ton basin, with an annual production capacity of about 800,000 deadweight tons. Once completed, it will become the main base for Yangzijiang Shipbuilding to construct its existing orders for green clean energy vessels. Yangzijiang Shipbuilding is currently actively planning and implementing new ship orders suitable for construction at the Yangzhi Hongyuan facility, with the first vessel at this site expected to be delivered in 2027.
COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry (Guangdong) to Build Four Container Ships
COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry (Guangdong) is responsible for constructing four 3,100 TEU container ships. Based on market reference prices, the total order value is approximately $180 million. This marks the shipyard’s second publicly announced commercial vessel order in the market recently.
Mid-November Update: It is reported that Safety Management Overseas, the ship management subsidiary of dry bulk carrier owner Safe Bulkers, is constructing two 50,000 DWT MR product tankers at COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry (Guangdong). Deliveries will continue through 2027.
This also marks the first publicly announced merchant vessel order for the shipyard this year.
It is worth noting that the four 3100 TEU container ships mentioned above are the first container ship orders received by COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry (Guangdong) since it announced the resumption of its shipbuilding business in 2024. Including this latest order, COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry (Guangdong) has announced orders for a total of 18 new vessels of five different types since 2024, including two 20,000 DWT barge carrier, two 53.4-meter offshore tugboats, four 7999 DWT methanol bunkering vessels, 4+2 MR product tankers and four 3100 TEU container ships.
Data shows that COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry (Guangdong) was restructured and established in 2017. COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry (Guangdong) operates two facilities: the Machong site in Dongguan and the Huangpu site in Guangzhou. The combined facilities cover an area of 710,000 square meters, featuring one 150,000-ton floating dry dock, two 80,000-ton floating dry docks, four sslipways and seven deep-water piers. The total shoreline extends over 2,000 meters.
Yantai CIMC Raffles to Build Four Container Ships
CIMC Raffles is responsible for building four 4,500 TEU container ships. Based on market pricing, the total order value ranges between $228 million and $236 million. This order marks CIMC Raffles’ first venture into container ship construction, positioning the shipyard to gradually expand its ship types and pursue diversified development.
Notably, in the feeder container ship market, German liner giant Hapag-Lloyd is rumored to be in talks with CIMC Raffles to sign a contract for the construction of 8+6 methanol dual-fuel container ships with a capacity of 4,500 TEU each. At the time, the industry estimated the cost per vessel at $70 million. Based on this calculation, the total value of up to 14 new ships would amount to approximately $980 million.
As of 2025, CIMC Raffles has also publicly announced an EPC contract for a 1+1 methanol dual-fuel subsea rock installation vessel, with Dutch company Van Oord as the shipowner.
CIMC Raffles specializes in the full lifecycle management of high-end offshore equipment, including oil and gas drilling platforms, oil and gas production platforms (/FLNG), ro-ro vessels, wind turbine installation vessels, floating solar power systems, green hydrogen equipment, and marine fishery equipment. Committed to independent innovation and lean management, the company provides leading, reliable equipment and solutions for human development of marine resources, while building a platform for mutual growth among its dedicated workforce.
CIMC Raffles’ main business covers the entire lifecycle management of high-end offshore engineering equipment, including oil and gas drilling platforms, oil and gas production platforms (/FLNG), ro-ro vessels, wind power installation vessels, floating photovoltaic systems, green hydrogen equipment, and marine fishery equipment. It is committed to providing leading and reliable equipment and solutions for the development of marine resources through independent innovation and lean management, and to creating a platform for shared growth and development for its employees.
With these three shipbuilding contracts, Alpha Bulkers joins the growing ranks of Greek shipowners transitioning into the container ship sector. This follows similar moves by Greek tanker and bulk carrier owners such as Latsco Shipping (via the Marla platform), Minerva Marine, and Transocean Maritime.
Additionally, numerous non-operating shipowners are now setting their sights on these three container ship specifications.
