China Shipping Container Lines (CSCL) has ordered eight new 13,500 TEU vessels from Shanghai Jiangnan Changxing Shipbuilding (Hudong Zhonghua Shipbuilding). The new vessels are scheduled for delivery between April 2018 and December 2018 at a cost of US$116.8 million per vessel.

Deployment trade for the new vessels will be the Asia/US East coast trade. The vessels will be in service after the expected completion of the Panama Canal lock widening programme, which is planned for in 2016.

CKYHE Alliance lines (COSCO, K Line, Yangming, Hanjin, Evergreen) will phase in another 13,870 TEU newbuilding, Manhattan Bridge, on the Asia/Europe NE2 service to replace a 9,000 TEU vessel in October.

The move follows the phasing in of a further two vessels of similar capacity on to the NE2, the 14,080 TEU YM Wellness, which phases into the NE2 at Hong Kong on August 21, and the 13,870 TEU Mackinac Bridge on August 28.

All three vessels are part of a newbuilding programme initiated by Yangming and K Line for 14,000 TEU capacity at Hyundai Heavy Industries and Imabari Shipbuilding respectively, which has already witnessed the delivery of 10 vessels of this capacity in recent months for deployment on the CKYHE NE2 and NE7 Asia/Europe services.

At the beginning of 2015, NE2 weekly capacity was around 9,000 TEUs, but by the end of October, this will have increased to approximately 13,500 TEUs. The NE2 port rotation is Hong Kong, Nansha, Kaohsiung, Yantian, Singapore, Piraeus, Rotterdam, Felixstowe, Hamburg, Antwerp, Piraeus, Singapore and Hong Kong.

By Paul Richardson

Sea Freight Correspondent | London