On July 17, New Yangtze Shipbuilding—a subsidiary of Yangzijiang Shipbuilding—delivered the “SANTORINI EXPRESS” to DANAOS, marking the first of its 8,000-TEU series container vessels to be handed over and enter service. Construction of the vessel began in early June 2025, and the signing and delivery ceremony took place on July 16, 2026.
This project marks the first collaboration between Yangzijiang Shipbuilding and Danaos—one of the world’s largest independent container ship owners—comprising a total of seven vessels. These are next-generation, energy-efficient container ships designed to meet mainstream market demand and benchmarked against high-end, eco-friendly shipping standards.
This series of vessels has successfully secured long-term charters with the globally renowned shipping company Hapag-Lloyd; upon delivery, they will officially enter service in the international mainline container shipping market.
Yangzijiang Shipbuilding states that the vessel’s overall design balances high cargo capacity, low energy consumption, and strong operational versatility. Its load-carrying capacity and hold layout have been meticulously optimized to efficiently meet the transport demands of key international trunk routes, such as trans-Pacific and Asia-Europe lanes.
Furthermore, the vessel strictly adheres to international maritime environmental regulations; equipped with a highly efficient propulsion system and low-carbon technologies, it significantly reduces fuel consumption and carbon emissions, achieving industry-leading standards in fuel economy, environmental performance, and operational stability.
With a long-standing presence in the international shipping market, DANAOS possesses a vast fleet of deep-sea vessels and a mature global operational system, commanding significant industry influence and a strong market reputation in the fields of global container ship leasing and the provision of capacity for major deep-sea trade routes.