Taiwanese ship builder CSBC Corporation is almost done with securing a buyer or charterer for four 2,800 TEU container ships that it is constructing speculatively.
Work on the ships began on 30 December 2021 and CSBC chairman Cheng Wen-lon said on 3 January that the shipbuilder is negotiating with potential buyers and charterers. Newbuilding prices for boxships are firming and the market looks good, said Cheng.
In August 2021, CSBC decided to build the ships speculatively, banking on good demand for such vessels amid firming charter and freight rates, in the hope of improving the shipbuilder’s financial performance.
Cheng noted that the vessel designs incorporate the International Maritime Organization’s latest energy-saving standards, and are based on research and development that CSBC undertook in the last decade.
Cheng added that in 2022, CSBC will seek collaboration with South Korean and Japanese shipbuilders to win more orders for merchant ships.
CSBC chairman estimates that its company will generate a pre-tax profit of more than US$360,000 for 2021, ending five years of consecutive losses that were caused by a decline in merchant ship orders.
Martina Li
Asia Correspondent
