6 container ship manufacturing orders suspended due to US interference
According to Trade Wind, due to the unclear impact of the US port fee policy on Chinese built ships, the world's two major container shipping giants are currently pressing the "pause button" for new shipbuilding orders.
However, a source in the new shipbuilding industry revealed that the procurement plan for these six new ships has been "temporarily put on hold" due to uncertainty in the US policy towards Chinese shipbuilding.
It is worth noting that this news conflicts with previous industry reports. Multiple media reports indicate that Hengli Heavy Industries has recently signed and put into effect a construction contract for six LNG dual fuel 22000 container ships with well-known European shipping companies.
In the current context where the impact of US port fees is unclear and ship prices may fall, shipping companies are becoming increasingly cautious in making large investment decisions that often cost billions of dollars. This also affects the potential order of a batch of 16800 TEU dual fuel ships being negotiated between Hapag Lloyd and Asian shipyards. Although there is a significant gap in quotes between Chinese and Korean shipyards for building large container ships, this has not stopped shipping companies from continuing to issue inquiries to Korean shipyards.
According to Alphaliner, an unnamed European shipping company has issued a letter of intent to South Korean shipyards to build up to 20 13000 TEU LNG powered container ships. If an order is placed in China, the unit price of this type of vessel ranges from 155 million to 160 million US dollars, depending on the technical configuration; The quotation from South Korean shipyards is expected to exceed 180 million US dollars.
This batch of orders has also brought the total value of MSC's container ship orders to over 20 billion US dollars. By 2029, MSC is expected to receive 60 LNG powered container ships with a total capacity of 916000 TEUs, accounting for approximately 40% of its 2.24 million TEU orders in hand.
However, a source in the new shipbuilding industry revealed that the procurement plan for these six new ships has been "temporarily put on hold" due to uncertainty in the US policy towards Chinese shipbuilding.
It is worth noting that this news conflicts with previous industry reports. Multiple media reports indicate that Hengli Heavy Industries has recently signed and put into effect a construction contract for six LNG dual fuel 22000 container ships with well-known European shipping companies.
In the current context where the impact of US port fees is unclear and ship prices may fall, shipping companies are becoming increasingly cautious in making large investment decisions that often cost billions of dollars. This also affects the potential order of a batch of 16800 TEU dual fuel ships being negotiated between Hapag Lloyd and Asian shipyards. Although there is a significant gap in quotes between Chinese and Korean shipyards for building large container ships, this has not stopped shipping companies from continuing to issue inquiries to Korean shipyards.
According to Alphaliner, an unnamed European shipping company has issued a letter of intent to South Korean shipyards to build up to 20 13000 TEU LNG powered container ships. If an order is placed in China, the unit price of this type of vessel ranges from 155 million to 160 million US dollars, depending on the technical configuration; The quotation from South Korean shipyards is expected to exceed 180 million US dollars.
However, the latest analysis from HSBC suggests that USTR's final decision to lower port charges for foreign shipowners building ships in China means that the previously feared policy barriers have been loosened. In other words, this policy objectively weakened the strategic interest margin that South Korean shipyards had once gained through the "US policy tilt".
This undoubtedly injects a shot of adrenaline into Chinese shipyards. As policy doubts gradually dissipate, investment confidence will return to its roots: quality, price, and delivery capability. HSBC bluntly stated, "The global competitiveness of Chinese shipyards has not been significantly affected and is expected to continue to maintain a leading position in most segmented markets
It is worth mentioning that if MSC's update plan is restarted, it will further consolidate its close cooperation with Hengli Heavy Industries. At present, this shipyard headquartered in Dalian is building 20 LNG dual fuel container ships for MSC, including 10 new ships with 21000 TEUs and 10 new ships with 24000 TEUs. The above order was completed last year, with a single ship price ranging from 215 million to 230 million US dollars, and is expected to be delivered between 2027 and 2029.
This batch of orders has also brought the total value of MSC's container ship orders to over 20 billion US dollars. By 2029, MSC is expected to receive 60 LNG powered container ships with a total capacity of 916000 TEUs, accounting for approximately 40% of its 2.24 million TEU orders in hand.
