Costamare, the Greek container ship owner led by Konstantinos Konstantakopoulos, is strengthening its order backlog by placing additional orders for new container vessels to further expand its fleet.
Costamare announced that it has signed a contract with a Chinese shipyard for the construction of four 3,100 TEU container vessels, scheduled for delivery between the fourth quarter of 2027 and the fourth quarter of 2028. All four newbuildings have secured medium-term charter agreements effective immediately upon delivery, continuing the company’s shipbuilding strategy of “binding orders with charters.”
In 2025, Costamare’s shipbuilding contract with Zhoushan Changhong International marked the company’s return to the newbuild market after years of absence, signaling renewed confidence in the long-term demand for medium-sized container vessels. The company’s last order dates back to 2018. Although it had reached an agreement with an Asian shipyard in 2021 to build six large vessels as part of a newbuilding initiative, that deal was terminated months later. Since then, the company has not placed any new orders for container ships or bulk carriers.
With the addition of the four newly disclosed vessels, Costamare’s total order for 3,100 TEU container vessels has increased to ten units. The first six vessels are being constructed by Zhoushan Changhong International. Orders were placed in two batches in 2025—four vessels in the first batch and two in the second—with deliveries scheduled between the second quarter of 2027 and the first quarter of 2028. Upon delivery, an eight-year time charter contract will commence with a “leading container shipping company” as the charterer.
Costamare spun off its dry bulk carrier business into Costamare Bulkers, a separate publicly traded company, in 2025. Its dry bulk carrier fleet consists of nearly 40 owned vessels and approximately 50 chartered dry bulk carriers operated through its CBI platform.