The details of three types of 13 container ship orders undertaken by Huangpu Wenchong last week have officially surfaced.
Previously, on June 18, Huangpu Wenchong announced that it had successfully signed contracts with three domestic and international shipowners, securing construction contracts for 13 container ships, including three 5300TEU container ships, four 6200TEU container ships, and six 6400TEU container ships. However, the identities of the shipowners and the contract amounts were not disclosed at that time.
Jiangsu Ocean Shipping orders three 5300TEU container ships
According to information from International Ship Network, the aforementioned three 5300TEU container ships were ordered by Jiangsu Ocean Shipping. This marks Jiangsu Ocean Shipping’s first foray into the medium-sized container ship market and also sets a new record for the largest vessel type in its own container fleet. Previously, the largest container ships in Jiangsu Ocean Shipping’s fleet were four 3000TEU feeder vessels ordered at Suhao Chuangke Shipbuilding last year, scheduled for delivery between 2027 and 2028.
As the shipping platform under Jiangsu Provincial Port Group, Jiangsu Ocean Shipping maintains a long-term cooperative relationship with Huangpu Wenchong. Currently, six 1900TEU feeder container ships are being built at Huangpu Wenchong.
The newly ordered 5300TEU vessel is a benchmark product of Huangpu Wenchong’s independently developed “Honghu” series of medium-sized container ships. The vessel has a total length of 235 meters, a beam of 37.5 meters, and a deadweight tonnage of approximately 71,500 tons. The ship type has undergone multiple rounds of hull line optimization, integrated design of efficient propellers and rudders with energy-saving devices, and meticulous overall layout planning. It exhibits excellent container utilization and fuel economy, gaining wide recognition from customers since its market launch.
It is understood that Jiangsu Ocean Shipping Co., Ltd., established in 1980, was the first provincial-ministerial joint venture local ocean shipping company in China. The company specializes in bulk cargo maritime transportation, container liner shipping, international freight forwarding and ship agency, crew and ship management, and supply of ship stores. It is committed to building a “three-in-one” business layout of container transportation, bulk cargo transportation, and shipping services, aiming to become a world-class, domestically leading, and globally competitive local shipping flagship enterprise in Jiangsu.
As of December 2025, Jiangsu Ocean Shipping controls a fleet of 135 vessels totaling 2.156 million deadweight tons and 38,000 TEU. This includes 24 owned bulk carriers totaling 1.438 million deadweight tons and 22 owned container ships totaling 310,000 deadweight tons and 23,000 TEU. The company operates 72 container routes, including 15 foreign trade trunk lines, 9 domestic trade trunk lines, 17 coastal and river feeder lines, and 31 canal feeder lines, covering over 100 countries worldwide. It has nearly 30 comprehensive cargo solicitation stations with multi-level and multi-business scope. It currently has over 700 ocean-going crew members.
GSL orders four 6200TEU container ships
Meanwhile, the order for four 6200TEU container ships comes from US-listed container ship owner Global Ship Lease (GSL). The new vessels are expected to be delivered in 2029 and 2030. Shipbrokers estimate the construction cost per vessel to be over $85 million, bringing the total contract value to approximately $340 million (approximately RMB 2.303 billion).
Including the latest order, GSL’s orders for container ships this year have increased to 14. In April this year, GSL ordered ten 6200TEU container ships at Taizhou Sanfu Shipbuilding. According to data disclosed by GSL earlier this month, the total investment for these ten wide-beam, high-reefer-slot container ships is approximately $917 million, scheduled for delivery between the fourth quarter of 2028 and the first quarter of 2030.
GSL stated at the time that these new vessels are highly flexible, designed to ensure they perfectly meet current and future market demands. GSL has already signed time charter contracts for these ten vessels, with an average charter period of nearly seven years. These contracts are expected to generate approximately $665 million (approximately RMB 4.499 billion) in EBITDA.
It is understood that GSL was established in 2007, spun off from the CMA CGM Group. In August 2008, the company was listed on the New York Stock Exchange after a reverse merger with Marathon Acquisitions Corp. In 2018, GSL completed a merger with Poseidon Containers Holdings, owned by Greek shipowner George Youroukos, in a transaction valued at over $780 million. The merged fleet size reached 38 vessels.
As of December 31, 2025, GSL’s fleet owns and operates 71 container ships, with capacities ranging from 2,200 TEU to 11,040 TEU, an average age of 17.9 years, and 41 of which are wide-beam vessels. Its oldest vessel was built in 2000, while the newest vessel entered service in 2016.
Peter Dohle orders six 6400TEU container ships
The other six 6400TEU container ships were ordered by German shipowner Peter Dohle. Alphaliner data shows the unit price for these vessels is approximately $83 million, with deliveries expected to commence from 2029. Based on this, the total contract value is approximately $498 million (approximately RMB 3.374 billion).
In recent years, Peter Dohle has continuously increased its orders at Chinese shipyards. In March last year, the company ordered four 2900TEU container ships at Huangpu Wenchong; in March this year, it ordered two 3100TEU container ships at CSSC Chengxi Shipyard. Additionally, among the four 14,000TEU large container ships it ordered at Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding in June 2024, the first vessel, “Alicia,” was successfully delivered in May this year.
Choosing Huangpu Wenchong again this time further strengthens Peter Dohle’s cooperative relationship with shipyards under China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC).
It is understood that Peter Dohle is a family-owned enterprise with over 60 years of history in the shipping industry, headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, and enjoys a high reputation in the shipping world. According to its official website data, Peter Dohle operates a large fleet, controlling the world’s largest fleet of tramp container ships, with approximately 300 highly modern vessels ranging in size from 300 TEU to 14,000 TEU. All vessels can meet current market requirements, such as ultra-slow steaming and high reefer capacity. Additionally, the company specifically manages and operates a fleet of 35 bulk carriers, with capacities ranging from 38,000 to 175,000 deadweight tons.
With the finalization of these 13 orders, Huangpu Wenchong’s cumulative orders received in the medium-sized container ship market of 5,000TEU and above have reached 39 vessels, establishing a significant scale advantage in the global medium-sized container ship segment.
According to Clarksons data, excluding the latest orders, Huangpu Wenchong’s current order book totals 170 vessels, amounting to 7.06 million deadweight tons. This includes 121 container ships, 14 bulk carriers, 14 LPG carriers, 6 multi-purpose vessels, 6 offshore vessels, and 8 vessels of other types, with delivery schedules extending to 2030.
