On May 15, a group signing ceremony for 12 container vessels was held in Shanghai by Sinotrans Container Lines Co., Ltd. (Sinolines), an affiliate of China Merchants Energy Shipping (CMES).The new vessels cover three types: 8,200 TEU, 3,000 TEU and 1,800 TEU. They are scheduled for successive deliveries starting from 2027 with a total investment exceeding 5 billion yuan (approximately $733 million). All vessels will be built at shipyards shipyards under the China Merchants Shipbuilding Industry Group.
Specifically, four 8,200 TEU container ships are being built by China Merchants Heavy Industry (Jiangsu) Co., Ltd., four 3,000 TEU container ships are being built by China Merchants Jinling Shipyard (Nanjing) Co., Ltd., and four 1,800 TEU container ships are being built by China Merchants Shipbuilding Qingshan Shipyard Co., Ltd.
According to announcements disclosed by CMES on January 20 and April 24, the four 8,200-TEU container ships are designed with provisions for methanol propulsion and equipped with desulfurization towers, with a total investment not exceeding 2.874 billion yuan (approximately $422 million); the four 1,800-TEU container ships have a total investment not exceeding 940 million yuan (approximately $138 million); The total investment for four 3,000-TEU container ships does not exceed 1.324 billion yuan (approximately $194 million).
It is worth noting that China Merchants Shipbuilding Qingshan Shipyard, which has secured an order for four 1,800 TEU container ships, is a shipyard that has resumed operations after a six-year hiatus. Founded in the 1950s, the shipyard was once the largest civilian shipyard in Hubei Province and was incorporated into the China Merchants Group at the end of 2015 following the merger of Sinotrans Changhang Group.
In April 2018, after completing the delivery of its last export bulk carrier order, Qingshan Shipyard announced its withdrawal from the shipbuilding business, ending its 69-year shipbuilding history, and transforming into steel structure manufacturing, ship repair and conversion and other fields.
In October 2024, after a six-year hiatus, Qingshan Shipyard announced plans to resume shipbuilding operations.
In February 2026, Xu Lian, Party Secretary and General Manager of Qingshan Shipyard, revealed that the shipyard would focus on the construction of small and medium-sized high-value-added vessels while simultaneously advancing the development of a “garden-style factory.” The shipyard is expected to fully resume its core shipbuilding operations in 2026.
In April 2026, Qingshan Shipyard signed a contract with Zhonggu Logistics for 10 1,800-TEU container ships. This marks the shipyard’s first major order since joining China Merchants Shipbuilding, with a total contract value not exceeding 2.7 billion yuan. Delivery is expected between 2028 and 2029.
On the shipowner side, including the 10 conventional-fuel Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) ordered from China State Shipbuilding Corporation’s Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (DSIC) at a total cost of approximately 8.566 billion yuan (about $1.257 billion), CMES’s investment in newbuildings this year has exceeded 13.7 billion yuan, with delivery dates spanning from 2027 to 2030.
Regarding this batch of newly contracted shipbuilding projects, CMES stated that they represent a crucial step in the company’s efforts to optimize, expand, and strengthen its container fleet, and will drive a significant increase in Sinotrans Container Lines’ shipping capacity. Once these new vessels are delivered and put into service on various routes, they will effectively enhance service capabilities and coverage on those routes, better meet the diverse needs of customers, and fully support Sinotrans Container Lines in building a world-class fleet while continuously strengthening its core competitiveness.