Songa Box, a subsidiary of Norway’s Blystad Group, has signed a letter of intent with Taizhou Sanfu Shipbuilding for the construction of 2+2 3,100 TEU container vessels, according to shipping broker reports.
Songa Box is a new company established by Arne Blystad to take charge of the container business after sold its container company Songa Container to MPC Container Ships.
In June this year, Blystad Group was reported to have ordered three 3,000 TEU container vessels from Jinglu Shipyard via Songa Box. However, the latest information indicates that the two parties have not finalized a shipbuilding contract. The vacant shipbuilding slots at Jinglu Shipyard have since been filled by Minerva, a Greek shipowner led by Andreas Martinos, with an order for three 3,100 TEU container vessels.
Alphaliner data indicates that Songa Box currently operates nine container vessels with capacities ranging from 1,732 TEU to 2,846 TEU.
Since the beginning of this year, Sanfu Shipbuilding has won multiple new orders in the container vessel market, such as 4+2 4300TEU container vessels from Denmark’s Navigare Capital Partners, 4 4500TEU container vessels from Norway’s MPC Container Ships (MPCC), 1 3500TEU container vessel from Germany’s Hartmann and 1 3500TEU container vessel from the United States’ SEABOARD.
According to the official website, Taizhou Sanfu Shipbuilding operates two high-tech shipbuilding bases: the Yong’an Plant and the Port Plant. Both facilities feature 10,000-ton-class outfitting quays, with seven assembly slipways equipped with hundreds of lifting devices. The maximum lifting capacity reaches 900 tons, enabling the construction of various container vessels, multi-purpose vessels, oil tankers/ chemical tankers, bulk carriers, tugs, offshore engineering vessels, and various barges.