Hanwha Ocean's Performance Boosted by 'Container Ships'... Yang Ming Shipping Nears Order for 7 Vessels

[Financial News] Hanwha Ocean is continuing its global container ship orders this year, significantly contributing to its performance. Hanwha Ocean plans to continuously expand its order volume based on its experience in building the world's largest ultra-large container ships.
According to industry sources on the 20th, Taiwanese shipping company Yang Ming recently held a board meeting as part of its fleet optimization plan and announced that it has approved an order for seven 15,000 TEU (1 TEU is one 20-foot container) LNG dual-fuel container ships from Hanwha Ocean. However, although the order has been approved, the final contract has not been concluded, and details are being discussed at the preferred negotiation stage. A Hanwha Ocean representative explained, "Yang Ming Shipping has internally approved and announced the investment, but the contract is not yet finalized, and no details have been decided."
The contract size has not been disclosed as it is still under discussion, but based on the amount ordered for the same size ships previously, it is estimated to be $220 million per ship. If all seven ships are ordered, it is expected to approach 2 trillion won.
Previously, in April, Yang Ming requested bids for container ships from shipyards in South Korea, China, and Japan. It is known that Chinese shipyards did not submit bids, anticipating that Yang Ming, in which the Taiwanese government holds shares, would not place new ship orders.
If the contract is concluded, the ships are expected to be delivered between 2028 and 2029. They are expected to replace aging ships and contribute to accelerating Yang Ming's long-term strategic growth.
Yang Ming stated on its website, "This fleet optimization plan aims to modernize the fleet through the replacement of aging ships, comply with environmental regulations, and diversify energy sources," adding, "The ships ordered this time will be operated alongside five LNG dual-fuel container ships scheduled for sequential delivery from 2026, reducing global greenhouse gas emissions by 20%."
In March, Hanwha Ocean received an order from Taiwan's Evergreen for six 24,000 TEU LNG dual-fuel ultra-large container ships. The price per ship is 388.1 billion won, totaling 2.3286 trillion won. This is the highest amount ever for a container ship capable of transporting 24,000 containers at once.
The reason Hanwha Ocean can secure a large number of global container ship orders this year is attributed to its 'experience in building the world's largest ultra-large container ships.'
According to Clarkson Research statistics as of the end of June, there are currently 224 ultra-large container ships of 17,000 TEU or more operating worldwide. Among them, Hanwha Ocean has built the most, with 72 ships, achieving the number one market share (about 32%) as a single shipyard.
hoya0222@fnnews.com Kim Dong-ho Reporter