Turkish container and bulk carrier owner Bayraktar Shipping has returned to the newbuilding market after a hiatus of several years, placing an order with a Chinese shipyard for up to four feeder container ships.
According to shipbroking sources, Bayraktar Shipping has signed a contract with China Merchants Shipbuilding Qingshan Shipyard for two firm orders and two options for 1,800 TEU container ships, with deliveries scheduled for 2028 and 2029.
While the price of the new vessels has not been disclosed, shipbrokers estimate the current cost of an 1,800 TEU feeder container ship at approximately $32 million in Chinese shipyards, compared to around $37 million for the same type of vessel in South Korean shipyards.
Clarksons data shows that Bayraktar Shipping last took delivery of a newly built vessel in 2011, meaning this batch of new ships marks the shipowner’s first newbuild in more than a decade.
The shipowner currently operates a fleet of 11 vessels—comprising seven container ships, three Supramax bulk carriers, and one multipurpose vessel. According to its official website, the new vessel ordered from China Merchants Shipbuilding Qingshan Shipyard will be the largest container ship in its fleet.
China Merchants Shipbuilding Qingshan Shipyard was established in the 1950s and was once the largest civilian shipyard in Hubei Province, having built a total of 630 vessels. In 2018, the shipyard announced its withdrawal from the shipbuilding business—ending a 69-year history in the sector—to pivot toward steel structure manufacturing and ship repair and conversion. However, benefiting from a new boom in the shipbuilding industry, it is set to fully resume shipbuilding operations in 2026.
Despite an eight-year hiatus from the new shipbuilding market, China Merchants Shipbuilding Qingshan Shipyard has demonstrated impressive order-winning momentum. As of the end of July 2026, the shipyard held effective orders for over 20 vessels with a total contract value of RMB 4.7 billion (approximately USD 699 million), alongside pending orders for nearly 30 vessels valued at over RMB 6 billion (approximately USD 893 million); the cumulative contract value exceeds RMB 10 billion (approximately USD 1.488 billion).
According to publicly available information, the order book of China Merchants Shipbuilding Qingshan Shipyard includes container ships and multi-purpose vessels, with the 1,800 TEU container ship being the primary vessel type on order. According to incomplete statistics, this includes 10 new vessels for Zhonggu Logistics; 4 new vessels for Sinotrans Container Lines, a subsidiary of China Merchants Shipping; and recent reports indicate that Sinotrans Container Lines has invited the shipyard to build an additional 4 new vessels; and 3 vessels for Goldenport Shipmanagement of Greece. Two multi-purpose vessels are scheduled for delivery in 2027.
In this year’s newbuilding market, feeder container ships are undoubtedly one of the hottest ship types. According to data from shipbroker Xclusiv Shipbrokers, as of late July 2026, 184 feeder container ships had been ordered globally. In terms of TEU, these orders already account for 17.5% of the existing fleet, whose average age is approaching 16 years.