Despite the uncertainty, Greek container ship owner Danaos Corp, led by John Coustas, has placed an order for one additional container ship.
Danaos revealed that the company has currently ordered 16 container ships with a total capacity of 134,234 TEUs, an increase from the 15 ships and 128,220 TEUs mentioned in the first quarter financial report this year.
Specifically, Danaos has placed an order for a 6,014 TEU containership at China Merchants Industry Qingdao Shipyard. All 16 container ships are currently under construction at Chinese shipyards, with all expected to be delivered by 2028. Notably, each ship has been chartered under a multi-year time charter, with an average contract term of approximately 5.3 years.
It is reported that since 2023, Danaos has ordered container ships from many Chinese shipyards including China Merchants Industry Qingdao Shipyard, Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (DSIC) and Yangzijiang Shipbuilding.
Currently, Danaos manages a fleet of 74 container ships with a total capacity of 471,477 TEU, and owns 10 Capesize bulk carriers with a total deadweight tonnage of 1.76 million.
Danaos is one of several prominent Greek shipping companies that have driven a recent surge in container ship construction. Major Greek shipowners such as Capital Maritime, Latsco Shipping, and Navios Maritime Partners have all been active in the container ship market this year. Recent news reports indicate that Minerva Marine has signed letters of intent with Yangzijiang Shipbuilding and Huanghai Shipbuilding for the construction of two feeder container ships.