Norwegian-based Blystad Group is expanding its container business by ordering three container ships from a Chinese shipyard.
According to ship brokerage news, Arne Blystad’s investment company has signed a contract with Penglai Zhongbai Jinglu Ship Industry Co., Ltd. (Jinglu Shipyard) to build three 3,000TEU container vessels, which are expected to be delivered in 2027. The total order value is about US$129 million, and the cost of each vessel is about US$43 million.
It is said that this is the first container ship ordered by Arne Blystad in three years and will become the largest container ship in its fleet.
In 2021, Arne Blystad sold his container company Songa Container to MPC Container Ships, and subsequently established a new company Songa Box to be responsible for the container business.
In addition to the three new vessels ordered from Jinglu Shipyard, Arne Blystad has acquired six container vessels. In late 2024, Songa Box purchased two vessels from Belgian shipowner CMB and one from Leonhardt & Blumberg; recently, the company acquired a 2,550 TEU container vessel from Japanese Santoku Senpaku for US$27 million.
Currently, the company operates a fleet of nine feeder container vessels ranging in size from 1,700 TEU to 2,600 TEU, built between 2007 and 2024.
It is reported that Arne Blystad’s new shipbuilding contract is Jinglu Shipyard’s second new ship order this year. The first order was for six 49,200 DWT MR2 product tankers ordered by Greek shipowner Oceangold Tankers, which will be delivered between October 2025 and November 2026.
The official website shows that Jinglu Shipyard is a state-controlled large-scale modern ship repairing and building enterprise, subordinate to Qingdao Military-Civilian Integration Development Group and jointly held by Shandong Huiyang Group, with the main business of shipbuilding and offshore engineering equipment manufacturing, occupying a total area of 1.8 million square meters, with an annual production capacity of 1 million deadweight tons.
As of the end of 2024, Jinglu Shipyard holds orders for about 60 vessels, including large container ships, tankers/chemical tankers, bulk carriers, etc., and the production schedule has been lined up until 2029.