German owner Peter Döhle has confirmed the sale of five new 8,400 TEU liquefied natural gas (LNG) dual-fuel container vessels to Tailwind Shipping Lines, the container shipping arm of Germany’s Schwarz Group.
The five new vessels are being built by China State Shipbuilding Corporation Guangzhou Shipbuilding International (GSI).In February 2025, Peter Döhle signed a contract with GSI for the construction of 3+2 8,400 TEU LNG dual-fuel container vessels, with the option order coming into effect the following month.
Each vessel will cost about $120 million, with five totaling about $600 million, and is expected to be delivered between 2027 and 2028, according to Alphaliner data.
It is worth noting that the acquisition of the five container vessels under construction is Tailwind Shipping’s first foray into the newbuilding business, underscoring the company’s commitment to transforming itself from a temporary logistics solution to a long-term player in the global container market.
Tailwind Shipping, a sister company of German retail giant Lidl, plans to deploy five new vessels on its flagship Asia-Mediterranean Panda Express service, which has attracted attention for its operational independence and use of less congested secondary ports.
Tailwind Shipping was founded in 2022. According to Alphaliner, the company currently operates a fleet of nine vessels, seven chartered and two owned, ranging in size from 1,380 TEU to 6,881 TEU.
The official website shows that Peter Döhle was founded in 1956, with about 5,000 employees and operations in 30 countries/regions around the world, and operates a large-scale fleet consisting of container vessels, bulk carriers, multi-purpose vessels, etc., including 307 container vessels (ranging from 300TEU to 14,000TEU) and 38 bulk carriers.