Norwegian container tonnage provider MPC Container Ships (MPCC) has placed an order in China for two eco-friendly 1,600 TEU container vessels in combination with eight-year charters.
As informed, MPCC has signed contracts for the two 1,600 TEU high cube container vessels with Chinese Fujian Mawei Shipyard and deliveries scheduled in the second half of 2027.
The total investment amounts to $66 million and the company holds options for additional vessels, offering future scalability in line with market opportunities.
Each vessel has been fixed on an eight-year time charter (plus a two-year optional period) with an undisclosed global liner company, expected to generate approximately $92 million in revenue and contribute around $54 million in EBITDA over the contracted charter period.
The vessel features a fuel-efficient design optimized for the Northern Europe trade and its restricted channels. A refined hull form, shallow draft, and high maneuverability ensure efficient operations, while energy-saving systems deliver advanced environmental performance, as per MPCC.
As explained, the order represents another step in MPCC’s transition toward a more efficient and environmentally compliant fleet, reducing exposure to regulatory and environmental risk.
The project will be financed through a balanced mix of equity and debt, ensuring flexibility and a prudent capital structure. The newbuildings are expected to be accretive to both earnings per share (EPS) and dividends per share (DPS) upon delivery.
“We are pleased to mark another step in the transformation of our fleet,” Constantin Baack, Co-CEO of MPCC, commented.
“This transaction is part of our long-term fleet renewal strategy, designed to generate sustainable value through modernization and optimization… At the same time, we maintain a strong and flexible balance sheet with significant investment capacity, enabling us to advance our renewal program while remaining well-positioned to act on market opportunities should conditions soften.”
“We continue to view the supply fundamentals in our core segments as favorable, due to the comparably low orderbook – where only 6% of the fleet is expected to be replaced in the next 2–3 years, while 24% of vessels are already over 20 years old,” Baack concluded.
Earlier this year, MPCC unveiled a series of strategic initiatives which included the order of four 4,500 TEU dual-fuel-ready containerships in China. The ships were ordered at Taizhou Sanfu Ship Engineering, with planned deliveries starting in the second half of 2027.
