Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp. became the latest ocean carrier to join the newbuilding club when it announced plans to order a dozen or more new container ships.
The Taiwan-based carrier in a release said its board on Dec. 20 approved a new fleet optimization plan, including the addition of up to 13 container vessels ranging from 8,000 twenty foot equivalent units (TEUs) to 15,000 TEUs.
The orders, which the carrier said will optimize its service network and enhance fleet competitiveness, replace 20-years-and-older ships of 5,500 TEU to 6,500 TEU capacity on main service routes.
The vessels — at the smaller end of modern capacity —could likely been seen in intra-Asia service as well.
The new ships will include clean energy technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions — a key concern of ocean lines dealing with carbon taxes in Europe.
Yang Ming is the ninth-largest ocean container carrier, operating a fleet of 94 vessels with capacity of approximately 708,593 TEUs, according to published reports.
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