Maersk has selected Hudong-Zhonghua from the two final candidate shipyards, Hudong-Zhonghua and Hengli Heavy Industry, and plans to order 12+12 24,000TEU dual-fuel LNG container ships. The cost of a single ship is about 240 million US dollars, and the total amount after all takes effect is about 5.76 billion US dollars. Hudong-Zhonghua can be delivered from the end of 2029, which is the largest ship type ordered by Maersk so far.
The Norwegian ro-ro giant signed a firm order with China Merchants Shipbuilding Jinling Shipyard for 4 "Shaper-class" ships with 9,900 parking spaces, including options for 8 more ships, which will be delivered from mid-2030. Its fleet renewal plan launched in 2023 has reached a total of 26 ships, all of which will be built by Jinling Shipyard.
Hengli Heavy Industry jumped from fifth place to first in the global shipbuilding rankings, reflecting its rapid expansion in the ultra-large container ship market - it has previously taken orders for 30 24,000TEU-class dual-fuel ships from Mediterranean Shipping.
According to UKMTO warning No. 187-26, on October 29, a small boat mounted two explosive devices on the side of an oil tanker about 25 nautical miles northeast of Hassab, Oman. The engine room caught fire and briefly lost power. The crew was safe, the fire was extinguished, and the ship has resumed sailing. The safety agency EOS Risk identified the ship involved as LOUISE 1. It was also said that this was the first time that magnetic mine tactics were successfully used in the waterway since this round of conflict.
Trans-Pacific routes led the decline: Shanghai-Los Angeles fell 6% to US$7514, Shanghai-New York fell 5% to US$9631; Asia-Europe routes rose. Drewry also pointed out that the number of empty flights announced next week increased to 6 (5 this week), and the capacity is tight, but US import demand is weakening, and NRF predicts that US seaborne imports will fall by 11% month-on-month in November.
The Baltic Exchange's dry bulk index edged up 0.1% on Friday, hitting a new high since October 13; the capesize index posted three consecutive gains simultaneously.
The shipbroker pointed out in its latest new shipbuilding research report that the shipbuilding market has shifted from an "order wave" to a "delivery wave", but the popularity of oil tanker ordering has not diminished. Despite the high prices, ship prices are expected to remain high throughout 2027.
Veritas Tankers placed an order for a 13,000-dwt stainless steel chemical tanker. Its listed parent company Jiangsu Runbang Heavy Industry confirmed the contract in an exchange announcement. The buyer is an unnamed European shipowner.