Evergreen Makes Major Mega-Ship Order

Taiwanese shipping line is planning to build 23,000 TEU megaships, which will be built at shipyards in South Korea and China, according to the reports from the South China Morning Post.

The vessels will cost Evergreen approximately US$1.6 billion and could see it become the sixth biggest carrier line in the world, overtaking major Japanese alliance Ocean Network Express (ONE).

The first of the giant ships is likely to enter service in 12-18 months’ time and according to the South China Morning Post, Evergreen had placed the order on September 10, 2019. It is estimated that each vessel will cost between $140 million and $160 million.

Six of the vessels will built at Samsung Heavy Industries shipyard in South Korea, two at the Jiangnan Shipyard and two at Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding, a subsidiary of the China State Shipbuilding Corporation that builds ships for the Chinese military.

A booming industry

In announcing this news, Evergreen has become the latest of the world’s major carriers to order mega-ships.

Port Technology reported in June 2019 on rumors that it was, along with German shipping giant Hapag-Lloyd, was going to order up to a dozen mega-ships.

In July 2019, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) took delivery of the MSC Gulsun, the largest containership in the world with a total capacity of 23,756 TEU.

That came after CMA CGM, the fourth-biggest container line in the world behind Maersk, MSC and COSCO, announced it had ordered a 10-strong fleet of mega-ships as part of deals between China and France.