Independent German shipowner Peter Döhle Schiffahrts has expanded its container ship newbuilding program by placing an additional order for two large container ships with a familiar Chinese shipyard.
Market reports indicate that Peter Döhle has returned to Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation) to sign a contract for two 14,000 TEU container ships. This brings the total number of vessels in the series ordered from the yard to six, with the two newly ordered ships scheduled for delivery in August and October 2028.
This latest contract marks a deepening of the partnership between Hudong-Zhonghua and Peter Döhle in the newbuilding market. In 2024, Peter Döhle ordered four 14,000 TEU methanol-ready container ships from Hudong-Zhonghua at a cost of approximately $150 million per vessel; this marked the shipowner’s first container ship newbuilding project in nine years, with deliveries scheduled for 2026–2027. The first vessel in the series, the “ESL Singapore”, was delivered in May 2026—five months ahead of schedule.
This type of container ship has an overall length of approximately 336 meters and a beam of 51 meters, with a capacity of 14,170 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU). Incorporating the latest design concepts, the vessel features a conventional fuel propulsion system while also providing a reserved design for a future methanol propulsion upgrade, thereby meeting the shipowner’s potential requirements for a transition to green fuel. Additionally, the ship is equipped with exhaust gas cleaning systems (scrubbers) and other energy-saving devices; it boasts low overall energy consumption, excellent speed performance, and superior environmental credentials, with overall performance reaching a world-class level.
Since restarting its newbuild program for container ships in 2024, Peter Döhle has ordered over 20 vessels across various specifications, all of which are being constructed by shipyards under the China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC). According to incomplete data, these orders include six 14,000 TEU container ships from Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding; five 8,400 TEU LNG dual-fuel container ships from Guangzhou Shipyard International; six 6,400 TEU and four 2,900 TEU container ships from Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding; and two 3,100 TEU container ships from CSSC Chengxi Shipyard.
According to its official website, Peter Döhle was established in Hamburg, Germany, in 1956 and currently operates a substantial, diversified fleet. The fleet comprises approximately 335 vessels, including large container ships, feeder container ships, bulk carriers, multipurpose vessels, and offshore vessels.
Notably, the company owns the world’s largest container ship fleet operating on a tramp (non-liner) basis, consisting of around 300 modern vessels ranging from 3,300 TEU to 14,000 TEU. It also operates approximately 35 bulk carriers—ranging from 38,000 DWT to 175,000 DWT and covering Handysize, Supramax, and Mini-Cape classes—to meet diverse trade route requirements.
Including the two most recently announced vessels, Hudong-Zhonghua has publicly disclosed orders for approximately 50 new vessels this year (including options); these primarily consist of large container ships, LNG carriers, and very large crude carriers (VLCCs), with order volumes of 18, 13 plus 7, and 12 vessels, respectively.