Chartworld Shipping, a Greek shipping company controlled by the Kollakis family, is further expanding its fleet through a new shipbuilding program and is reportedly in talks with Chinese shipyards for new shipbuilding deals.
Greek shipbroker sources revealed that Chartworld has signed a letter of intent with New Dayang Shipyard for the construction of 2+2 3,100 TEU container ships. Each ship is estimated to cost US$42 million, and with the option orders, the total value of the four new ships is approximately US$168 million (approximately RMB 1.2 billion), with delivery scheduled for 2028.
According to reports, Chartworld’s last order in the container ship sector was placed in 2021. At that time, Chartworld commissioned New Times Shipbuilding to construct four 13,000 TEU-class container ships for it. Subsequently, Chartworld sold two of the ships to German liner giant Hapag-Lloyd, while the remaining two were leased to Hapag-Lloyd under a long-term charter agreement. The two ships that have not yet been sold have been completed and delivered.
According to the shipping data platform Chartworld, founded in 1999, the current fleet includes more than 40 ships, covering bulk carriers, tankers, container ships and refrigerated ships, of which 13 are container ships.
It is worth noting that Chartworld was also reported to have signed a letter of intent with Hengli Heavy Industries in March this year for the construction of four 4,300 TEU container ships.
The rumors surrounding Chartworld’s order from New Dayang Shipyard come at a time when Greek shipowners are sparking a new wave of activity in the container ship market. Latsco Shipping, another Greek shipowner, has recently placed an order with CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding for 2+2 1,900 TEU feeder container ships. Meanwhile, Alberta Shipmanagement and Chios Navigation have also been active in this segment and are currently in discussions with Chinese shipyards regarding new feeder container ship projects.
It is also reported that several Greek shipowners including Capital Maritime, Navios Maritime Partners, Danaos and TMS Group are also seeking additional container ship capacity.
In addition to Greek shipowners, a German shipowner is also rumored to be associated with a letter of intent for the construction of 3,000 TEU feeder container ships from an unnamed Chinese shipyard.
Although few details have been disclosed, these new shipbuilding projects are reportedly entering the contract stage.
“Overall enquiry activity remains active, with most yards booked until 2028, and although new orders remain limited, market sentiment remains strong and prices remain stable,” Danish shipbroker MB Shipbrokers noted in its latest market report.