Six Vessels for 1.9 Billion! Huanghai Shipbuilding Secures Another Feeder Container Ship Order

Recently, Greek shipowner Euroseas announced that it has placed an order with Huanghai Shipbuilding for the construction of two plus four 2,800-TEU refrigerated container vessels.

The new vessels are specifically designed for routes with strong demand for refrigerated cargo transport, each equipped with more than 1,000 reefer outlets to significantly boost refrigerated capacity. The ships comply with the EEDI Phase III and IMO NOx Tier III emission standards, with the first two expected to be delivered in June and August 2028, respectively. Each vessel is priced at approximately US$46.35 million; once the option order is confirmed, the total value for all six vessels will reach US$278 million (about RMB 1.911 billion).

For reference, Clarkson’s data show that the current newbuilding price for a 2,700–3,000 TEU container vessel is approximately US$43.25 million, slightly lower than last year’s US$43.50 million.

Euroseas believes that demand in the refrigerated cargo shipping market is steadily growing, and this new order will specifically target this niche segment, which is characterized by strong demand and a limited supply of modern vessels.

Aristides Pittas, Chairman and CEO of Euroseas, stated: “Given the still-positive outlook for the global refrigerated container shipping market and the limited supply of modern vessels equipped with a large number of reefer plugs, we believe that a measured expansion into the specialized high-reefer segment will create attractive opportunities in this niche market.”

According to data on the company’s official website, Euroseas’ fleet comprises 21 container vessels with a total capacity of 61,144 TEUs, and an additional four 4,300-TEU container ships are currently under construction at Yangzijiang Shipbuilding. With the addition of the two newly ordered vessels, Euroseas will operate a total of 27 ships, including 17 feeder vessels and 10 mid-sized container ships.

According to available information, Huanghai Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. was founded in 1944. In recent years, the company has actively aligned itself with the national “Maritime Power” strategy, seized the historic opportunity presented by the transition from old to new growth drivers, and pursued structural adjustments and product transformation. As a result, it has forged a development path distinctive to Huanghai in such fields as large passenger–roll-on/roll-off vessels, passenger–cargo ships, multi-purpose heavy-lift vessels, and large deep-sea fishing vessels. Today, Huanghai Shipbuilding has grown into a major domestic shipbuilding base for passenger–roll-on/roll-off vessels, multi-purpose heavy-lift vessels, and specialized vessels.

In the container ship sector, Huanghai Shipbuilding has traditionally focused on building container vessels of 1,800 TEU and below, which have also been its core product line in recent years. Since 2022, the shipyard has secured a series of bulk orders for 1,800-TEU container ships, thereby achieving internationalization, large-scale production, batch construction, product serialization, and specialized operations in this segment. According to Clarkson’s data, Huanghai Shipbuilding currently holds the largest order book globally for feeder container ships under 3,000 TEU, with a total of 55 vessels on order.

According to Clarkson’s data, including the latest order, Huangpu Shipbuilding currently holds a total of 99 vessels amounting to 2.73 million deadweight tons, comprising 62 container ships, 7 multi-purpose heavy-lift vessels, 10 chemical tankers, 14 general cargo ships, 3 open-top bulk carriers, and 3 other vessel types, with delivery schedules extending through 2029.