The CSSC Jiangnan shipyard delivered a 14,786 TEU container ship, conventionally powered and of the compact neo-panamax (C-NPX) type, named BAL Athena, to the shipping line BAL Container Line.
“It is the third unit of a series of four sister ships of the KUN 14,000 type ordered by the Hong Kong-based company in June 2022 (2 ships) and June 2024 (2 ships),” Alphaliner reported.
“Jiangnan’s KUN platform was developed internally by the shipyard and covers several standard container ship sizes with different propulsion options,” it added.
The BAL Athena measures 334.93 meters in length overall and 51 meters in beam (20 rows of containers), with a deadweight tonnage of 158,000 tonnes at a maximum design draft of 17 meters.
The unit is powered by a WinGD 8X92-B-LPSCR main engine generating 42,000 kW. Furthermore, the vessel has the capacity to carry up to 1,500 reefer containers.
According to reports, BAL Container Line paid around 140 million US dollars for each of the first two ships and approximately 145 million for the third and fourth units.
“In mid-2024, the owner agreed to sell the first pair to the shipping line Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) for approximately 165 million US dollars per ship,” the consultancy specified.
“BAL Container Line’s new BAL Athena is the first unit of the second pair of ships and has been chartered to Maersk for an estimated period of five years,” it added.
Meanwhile, the fourth ship will enter service under the name MSC Florence and, according to Alphaliner’s understanding, has also been sold to MSC for a price close to 170 million US dollars.
“The BAL Athena will make its debut on the Asia–North Europe (/NE3) loop of the Gemini alliance. This service is currently operated with a mixed fleet of vessels between 12,000 and 20,500 TEU, contributed by both Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd,” the entity concluded.
