According to TradeWinds, Greek bulk carrier owner M/Maritime has ordered two 2,800-TEU feeder container ships from HD Hyundai Heavy Industries. Each vessel is priced at $55 million, for a total contract value of $110 million, with delivery expected to begin in early 2028.
This batch of container ships will be built using HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ new ship design, which is intended to improve fuel efficiency during operation.
As a shipping company with deep roots in the bulk carrier market, driven by freight rates and demand forecasts stemming from the situation in the Red Sea and geopolitical conflicts in the Middle East, as well as its own fleet expansion cycle, M/Maritime is entering the container shipping market for the first time with this order for feeder container ships. Its strategy is to diversify its business by expanding its fleet to include container ships in addition to bulk carriers.
It is reported that feeder container ships operate between small and medium-sized ports that are not served by large container ships, collecting cargo for transport to major transshipment hubs or distributing containers unloaded from large vessels to ports in surrounding areas. The mainstream vessel sizes typically range from 1,000 to 5,000 TEU.
In addition to expanding its container ship business, M/Maritime is simultaneously strengthening its bulk carrier fleet. The company has been deeply involved in the bulk carrier business for over 10 years; the bulk carriers in its core fleet were all built by Japanese shipyards, and it has chartered three bulk carriers from Japanese shipowners under long-term charter contracts ranging from 5 to 10 years.
Currently, M/Maritime’s fleet consists of 18 dry bulk carriers, including 8 Handy-type, 8 Ultra Max-type, and 2 Kamsar Max-type vessels, all of which are modern bulk carriers built by Japanese shipyards.