Taiwanese container shipping company Wan Hai Lines has placed a new order for eight containerships at Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding, a CSSC (China State Shipbuilding Corporation) yard, with a total contract value of up to $980 million. The order continues a container newbuilding wave that has persisted since 2021, with carriers across the ranking investing heavily in larger, more fuel-efficient tonnage both to replace aging vessels and to position for emissions compliance.

According to two stock exchange filings, the Taipei-headquartered carrier has contracted one 9,200 TEU vessel and seven 11,000 TEU vessels. The 9,200 TEU ship, specified as methanol dual-fuel ready, is priced between $102 million and $112 million. The seven larger 11,000 TEU vessels will be both methanol- and LNG-dual-fuel ready, with individual price tags ranging from $118 million to $124 million. The 11,000 TEU category gives Wan Hai flexibility across multiple trade lanes, including transpacific and Asia–Europe services, where the carrier has been building its presence beyond its traditional intra-Asia strongholds.

Combined, the two contracts will see Wan Hai spend between $928 million and $980 million. The contract prices include equipment upgrades.

This latest order reinforces Wan Hai's expanding relationship with Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding, one of CSSC's flagship commercial yards and a major builder of large containerships for international owners. In March, the carrier booked two 9,200 TEU methanol-ready ships at the same yard for a combined price of between $204 million and $224 million.

That March transaction formed part of a broader six-vessel ordering round. In addition to the two Waigaoqiao newbuilds, Wan Hai contracted four 6,000 TEU LNG-dual-fuel vessels at Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding. At the time of that ordering round, Wan Hai had more than 40 vessels on order across shipyards in China, Taiwan, and South Korea.

Wan Hai Lines, founded in 1965 and headquartered in Taipei, is one of Taiwan's major container shipping lines, operating services primarily across Asia and increasingly expanding into longer-haul trade routes. Alongside compatriots Evergreen and Yang Ming, Wan Hai has been steadily renewing and enlarging its fleet amid a broader industry trend of investing in dual-fuel-ready tonnage to meet tightening international emissions regulations, including the International Maritime Organization's revised greenhouse gas strategy targeting net-zero by or around 2050.

Source: Splash247