Turkish owner Bayraktar Shipping has entered the newbuilding market, with brokers linking the Istanbul-based company to an order for two firm 1,800 teu feeder containerships in China, plus two options.

The ships have reportedly been booked at China Merchants Industry Group's revived Wuhan Qingshan Shipyard, with the firm pair scheduled for delivery in 2028 and 2029. No price, propulsion details, or option-declaration dates have been disclosed.

European brokers currently value a standard Chinese-built feeder of this size at around $32m, implying roughly $64m for the firm pair and potentially around $128m if both options are exercised.

The new vessels will become the largest container ships in Bayraktar's fleet. Turkish shipping reports put the company's current operation at seven container ships, three supramax bulkers and two multipurpose vessels, while the owner's own website lists a broader collection of dry bulk, multipurpose, container and general cargo tonnage totalling around 235,000 dwt.

The order would also mark Bayraktar's first newbuilding delivery since 2011, when the company took delivery of a 58,450 dwt supramax from South Korea's SPP Shipbuilding. According to its strategy page, the group intends to expand in both dry bulk and containerships, with a particular focus on smaller boxships of up to 2,500 teu. The move fits a wider pattern among mid-sized owners returning to yards for feeder tonnage, a segment where much of the existing fleet is ageing and where regional trades in areas such as the Mediterranean, Black Sea and intra-Asia have kept demand for smaller ships steady even as headline Asia-Europe and transpacific services have absorbed most industry attention.

Qingshan itself is in the midst of a comeback. As Splash reported in February, China Merchants was restoring newbuilding activity at the Wuhan yard after it exited ship construction in 2018 and spent several years concentrating on repair and steel fabrication. The revival also reflects China's broader push to retain and expand its dominant share of global newbuilding orders, with domestic groups adding feeder capacity to serve both local operators and international owners.

The restarted yard has quickly established 1,800 teu feeders as one of its core products. Shanghai-listed Zhonggu Logistics backed the revival in April with an order for ten ships, while Sinotrans has lined up two four-ship batches and Greece's Goldenport Shipmanagement has been linked to another three. With the firm pair not due until 2028 and 2029, the order is a long-cycle bet on feeder demand rather than an immediate capacity addition, and further orders at Qingshan and rival yards will indicate whether the current feeder newbuilding push continues to broaden.

Source: Splash247