Another Greek shipowner has returned to a Chinese shipyard to place an order for shipbuilding. Latsco Shipping is expanding its business in the container vessel sector by ordering new ships in China.
Sources revealed that Latsco Shipping has reached an agreement with CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding to build two 1,900TEU container vessels. The new vessels are expected to be delivered in 2027, with each costing US$31 million and the total value of the two vessels being US$62 million.
According to its official website, Latsco Shipping operates a fleet of 32 vessels, including 14 product tankers, 6 gas carriers, 4 very large crude carriers (VLCCs), 2 liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers, 2 Supramax bulk carriers, 2 Ultramax bulk carriers, and 2 container vessels.
Excluding the above-mentioned container vessel orders, Latsco Shipping currently has a order book for 13 vessels: 4 dual-fuel very large gas carriers (VLGCs) expected to be delivered in 2025 and 2026; 5 LR2 tankers expected to be delivered in 2026 and 2027; and 4 Ultramax bulk carriers expected to be delivered between 2025 and 2027.
It is worth mentioning that Latsco Shipping officially entered the container shipping sector in 2022 by ordering two new 1,900 TEU vessels. These two vessels were built by Imabari Shipbuilding and were originally ordered by Japanese shipowner Shoei Kisen.