On June 18, CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding announced that it had signed contracts with three domestic and international shipowners for the construction of 13 container ships of three types, including three 5,300 TEU container ships, four 6,200 TEU container ships, and six 6,400 TEU container ships. According to market sources, these new ships have been ordered by Chinese shipowner Jiangsu COSCO, New York-listed shipowner Global Ship Lease, and German shipowner Peter Döhle.
Jiangsu Ocean Shipping Orders 3 5,300-TEU Container Ships
Ship brokers and market sources revealed that Jiangsu Ocean Shipping Co., Ltd. (Jiangsu Ocean Shipping), a Chinese shipowner, has ordered three 5,300 TEU container ships from Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding. This order for medium-sized container ships is not the first collaboration between the two companies in the newbuilding market. In May and October 2025, Jiangsu Ocean Shipping ordered a total of six 1,900 TEU feeder container ships from Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding.
In addition to the orders from Huangpu Wenchong, Clarksons data shows that Jiangsu Ocean Shipping also holds orders for four 3,000 TEU container ships and multiple Ultramax bulk carriers from Jiangsu Soho Chuangke Shipbuilding, and two Kamsarmax bulk carriers from Nantong COSCO KHI Ship Engineering (NACKS). Including ships under construction, Jiangsu Ocean Shipping’s fleet comprises approximately 53 vessels.
GSL Orders Four 6,200-TEU Container Ships
The four 6,200 TEU container ships announced last week by Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding are reportedly related to Global Ship Lease (GSL), a container ship owner and charterer under George Youroukos. Shipbrokers indicate that these container ships are part of GSL’s recently announced order for 10 new vessels.
Earlier this month, GSL announced a $917 million order for 10 medium-sized, wide-body, ultra-high-cubic-meter refrigerated container ships. At the time, it did not disclose shipyard information or ship specifications, only stating that delivery was expected between the fourth quarter of 2028 and the first quarter of 2030. The remaining vessels in this order are reportedly to be built by Sanfu Shipbuilding.
When announcing the new shipbuilding project, GSL stated that the new vessels possess high flexibility, with designs and specifications meeting current and future market demands. After delivery from their respective shipyards, the 10 new vessels will operate under multi-year charter contracts, with a weighted average charter period of 6.7 years (TEU). The estimated combined adjusted EBITDA for each charter period is approximately US$665 million.
As an independent container ship owner, GSL owns a diversified fleet of medium and small container ships, totaling 71 vessels as of March 31, 2026, with an average age of 18.2 years (TEU weighted average).
Peter Döhle Orders Six 6,400-TEU Container Ships
Reports also indicate that German shipowner Peter Döhle has once again chosen a long-term partner, a shipyard under the China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), to place an order for six 6,400 TEU container ships, the very project announced last week by Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding. In recent years, this shipowner has been one of the most active non-operating shipowners in the new shipbuilding market.
Clarksons data shows that all of Peter Döhle’s current orders are being built by shipyards under CSSC. In addition to the six newly disclosed ships, these include three 14,170 TEU container ships from Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding, four 2,900 TEU feeder container ships from Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding, and two 3,100 TEU feeder container ships from CSSC Chengxi Shipbuilding.
Currently, Peter Döhle’s fleet comprises approximately 70 vessels, primarily container ships and bulk carriers.
For the shipyard, with the addition of the 13 new vessels from the three shipowners, Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding has now received orders for a total of 39 medium-sized container ships of 5,000 TEU or larger, establishing a significant scale advantage in the global medium-sized container ship construction sector. In addition, shipbroker MB Shipbrokers pointed out: “Chinese shipyards remain active in the 6,000 TEU container ship sector, with several orders already signed with letters of intent or soon to be finalized. New ship prices are currently stable overall, and the delivery dates for ships from leading shipyards have now been extended from mid-2029 to 2030.”