Container Shipping

Container Vessel News Roundup | June 14 – Singaporean, Norwegian and Dutch newbuilds, new Russian design and Taiwanese six-ship order

Baird Maritime

New container ships have been delivered to owners in the Netherlands, Norway, and Singapore. A Taiwanese company orders six methanol-ready 2,400TEU ships. Finally, a Russian design firm unveils a new concept vessel that can also transport dry cargo.

X-Press Feeders takes delivery of 7,000TEU newbuild from Chinese yard

X-Press Pyxis (Photo: Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding)

Singapore shipping company X-Press Feeders has taken delivery of a new 7,000TEU container vessel from China's Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding (SWS). X-Press Pyxis is the final unit in a series of 12 to be built for the same owner.

The newbuild has an LOA of 272 metres, a beam of 42.8 metres, a depth of 24.6 metres, a draught of 15 metres at full load, and a deadweight tonnage of 86,000. The ship also has 800 reefer plugs while the on-deck standard containers are placed in a mixed layout to allow higher stacking weights.

SWS delivered all 12 vessels in the series to X-Press Feeders at an average of two vessels per month. Deliveries commenced in June 2023.

Evergreen Marine taps Chinese builder for methanol-powered vessels

An Evergreen Marine vessel (Photo: Hudong Zhonghua Shipbuilding)

Taiwanese shipping company Evergreen Marine Corporation has selected China's Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding for the construction of six containerships fitted with dual-fuel engines. The engines will be capable of running on methanol fuel as it becomes more available in the future.

The sub-Panamax vessels will be operated by Evergreen subsidiary Italia Marittima. Each ship will also have capacity for 2,400 TEU.

The acquisition of the six vessels has a total cost of between US$312 million and US$348 million. The purchase is in line with Evergreen's aim of decarbonising its operations.

Netherlands' Vertom welcomes fifth cargo vessel in series

Vertom Anette (Photo: Thecla Bodewes Shipyards)

Dutch shipping company the Vertom Group recently took delivery of the fifth unit in a series of twelve 7,280DWT cargo vessels built by Thecla Bodewes Shipyards. As with earlier sisters Vertom Cyta and Vertom Tomma, Vertom Anette was designed with an optimised hull form and hybrid diesel-electric propulsion.

Russian design firm unveils new dry cargo/container vessel concept

Rendering of a Vympel Design Bureau Project 00111 vessel (Photo: United Shipbuilding Corporation)

Vympel Design Bureau, a naval architecture firm under Russia's state-owned United Shipbuilding Corporation, has developed a concept design of a new vessel series capable of transporting both dry and containerised cargo. Two variants will be made available under the Project 00111 series.

MPC Container Ships christens 5,500TEU newbuilds

Naming ceremony of Mackenzie and Colorado, two new 5,500TEU vessels ordered by Norway's MPC Container Ships (Photo: MPC Container Ships)

Norwegian transport company MPC Container Ships recently held a formal naming ceremony for its two newest vessels. Mackenzie and Colorado each have capacity for 5,500 TEUs as well as hull designs that can help reduce fuel consumption by as much as 40 per cent.