On November 3, T.S. Lines Ltd. (“T.S. Lines”) announced that it has entered into shipbuilding contracts with Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding and China Shipbuilding Trading Co., Ltd. (CSTC) for the construction of two 11,000 TEU container ships. The total contract value for the two vessels is US$246 million.
These new vessels are expected to be delivered in 2030, with the specific delivery date for each ship to be determined in accordance with the shipbuilding contracts.
T.S. Lines stated that the construction of these two container ships will expand the company’s owned fleet and total capacity, enabling it to better capitalize on market opportunities and address the growing demand within the container shipping industry—particularly in the Asia-Pacific region and other key markets. These additional vessels will further strengthen the company’s ability to provide reliable and frequent services to its customers, while also enhancing its market position.
Since 2021, T.S. Lines has placed orders with Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding for more than 10 container ships, with individual vessel capacities ranging from 7,000 TEU to 14,000 TEU. The most recent delivery from SWS to T.S. Lines took place on September 8, 2026, with the handover of the TS Manila—the eighth 7,000 TEU container ship built through their partnership.
According to publicly available information, T.S. Lines was established in 2001 and primarily engages in intra-Asia container shipping. It is a major liner operator based in Taiwan and ranks among the world’s top 20 liner shipping companies. As of the end of June 2026, T.S. Lines operated a fleet of 47 container vessels with a total capacity of nearly 140,000 TEU. This fleet consisted of 35 owned vessels, 7 chartered-in vessels, and 5 owned vessels chartered out to third parties, with an average vessel age of 4.8 years.
The two 10,000-TEU container ships being built by Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding are the second shipbuilding project announced by T.S. Lines in 2026. Earlier this year, T.S. Lines signed a contract with Mawei Shipyard, a subsidiary of FUjian Shipbuilding Industry, for the construction of four 2,900-TEU container ships. The cost per vessel is $42.15 million, with a total contract value of $168.6 million, and delivery is expected by May 2029.
As for Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding, the shipbuilder has secured approximately 60 new vessel orders (including options/letters of intent) to date, spanning container ships, oil tankers, floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) hulls, and cruise ship projects. Delivery schedules now extend through 2030, with container ships and oil tankers accounting for the largest share of these orders.