Maersk Line has committed to charter thirteen (13) 2,200 TEU feeder vessels. According to a statement, the feeder newbuildings are owned and fully financed by third party vessel leasing companies.
“Our fleet currently has around 250 vessels in the segment below 3,000 TEU capacity – including more than 20 owned vessels aged around 20 years,” Maersk says.Â
According to the Maersk’s statement, the feeders are designed and optimised for operational profiles, for which optimal vessels are not available in the market. Upon delivery, they will operate in Sealand’s Intra Asia-network and replace older, less efficient vessels in our chartered fleet, as well as owned vessels reaching end of lifetime in the next years.
Eight of the vessels will be built in China and five will be built in Japan. More specifically, five will be built at the Jiangnan Yard, China, five at the Imabari Yard, Japan and three at the Zhoushan Changhong Yard, China.
“The above decision of Maersk is a result of the ongoing optimisation and renewal of its feeder fleet portfolio,” according to the largest shipping company.