On December 11, Samsung Heavy Industries announced that it had signed a contract with an African shipping company to build two 13,000 TEU container ships. The total order value is 468.6 billion won (approximately US$322 million), with a cost of approximately US$161 million per ship. The ships are expected to be delivered to the shipowner by May 2028.
According to industry sources, the actual shipowner for this order is Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL), a Japanese shipping giant.
Including the latest contract, Samsung Heavy Industries has secured orders for seven new ships this year, worth US $1.2 billion (approximately 1.764 trillion won), achieving 9% of its annual order target of US$13.9 billion.
In terms of ship type, the company has received new ship orders for 2 liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers, 2 container ships, 2 ethane carriers and 1 crude oil carrier, covering multiple ship types.
South Korean industry insiders predict that as the demand for replacing aging container ships of 8,000-13,000 TEU capacity is fully released, orders for environmentally friendly vessels will continue to emerge.
A Samsung Heavy Industries representative stated, “The demand for replacing aging container ships is expected to continue for some time, and the company will continue to implement a strategy of selectively accepting orders based on its competitiveness in environmental technologies.”