Chinese domestic liner operator Taicang Container Lines (TCCL) has ordered three 1,091TEU boxships from Tsuneishi Shipbuilding’s shipyard in Zhoushan, China.
[s2If is_user_logged_in()]The company already operates nine ships ranging from 900TEU to 1,900TEU, with a total capacity of 11,994TEU, all are chartered, some from its minor shareholder, Jiangsu Ocean Shipping Company. The newbuildings will be delivered in early 2022 and mark TCCL’s first venture into ship owning.
Before securing the TCCL orders, Tsuneishi (Zhoushan) had delivered four similar ships to Shanghai Hai Hua Shipping (HASCO), which has since merged with Shanghai Jin Jiang Shipping.
Named after a port along the Yangtze River, TCCL carries cargoes mainly between China, South East Asia and Japan, and operates one service between China, Vietnam and Thailand.
Tsuneishi (Zhoushan), which announced the newbuilding order this month, disclosed that the contract was signed in December 2020. The ship builder said the newbuildings will have a hull structure that reduces resistance, and with an energy-saving MT-FAST device, giving better fuel efficiency than the vessels built for HASCO.
The newbuilding price was not disclosed but similar ships have a current market price of around US$20 million.
Including the TCCL orders, shipping databases indicate that 53 feeder ships were ordered in 2020.
Charter rates for container ships of all sizes have been increasing in response to rising demand amid an unprecedented spike in freight rates. This has caused liner operators to commission newbuildings or acquire second-hand ships to control charter costs.
TCCL, ranks number 65 in the top liner company list and is a subsidiary of the state-owned Jiangsu Port Group.
Martina Li
Asia Correspondent[/s2If]
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