Maersk Line has signed a US$1.1 billion agreement with Hyundai Heavy Industries for the construction of nine 14,000 TEU vessels and an option for up to eight more.

“I am very pleased about this order for which we have taken a new approach,” said Søren Toft, COO of Maersk Line. “The vessels will be designed to operate in and perform efficiently across many trades and not just designed for one specific trade. They will help us stay competitive and make our fleet more flexible and efficient.”

The vessels, which will be 353m in length, will be delivered in 2017 and will be registered in Singapore. This will be the first time for Maersk to design ships with hulls that are targeted at a variety of speeds and drafts, giving them a flexible operational profile. This means that the ships can be deployed on both East-West and North-South routes with no impact on fuel consumption, according to Maersk.

This order is part of Maersk’s US$15 billion investment programme which was announced in September 2014, covering new vessels, buildings, retrofitting, containers and other equipment.  Earlier this year, Maersk ordered seven 3,600 TEU feeder vessels and 11 Triple-E vessels with a capacity of 19,630 TEUs.