Shanghai-based China United Lines (aka CULines) has further ex- panded its container ship pipeline with orders for two 2,700 teu ves- sels from compatriot builder CSSC Group.
Following four orders for 1,900 teu Bangkokmaxes (BKX) from CSSC Guangzhou Wenchong Shipyard (GWS) in January and March of 2021, as well as orders for two 2,400 teu ships at Yangzijiang Ship- building, the carrier has now returned to GWS to place orders for two 2,700 teu ships – its largest newbuildings yet.
Details or a price have not been provided, but the two ships are ex- pected to be for delivery in late 2023.
Apart from two small vessels in ownership, CULines’ 32 vessel strong fleet today consists entirely of chartered tonnage. While some of the
tonnage is on charter from tramp owners, China United has arranged numerous charters from other operators.
This includes twelve 4,000+ teu panamax vessels from the Chinese Domestic carrier Quanzhou Antong Shipping, chartered under the terms of a wider strategic partnership.
CULines has used this tonnage to get a slice of the historically strong East – West markets, where the carrier launched standalone Transpa- cific (‘TPC’) and Asia – Europe services (‘AEX’).
Earlier this month it also became clear that the privately-owned carri- er planned to go public via an IPO on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
It appears that China United intends to remain active in the deep-sea trades for longer than just for the current cargo boom.
The shipping line this week disclosed that it signed strategic coopera- tion agreements with Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA) as a European terminal and logistics partner, and with the German non- operating owner and maritime services group Peter Döhle Schiffahrt, with whom CULines intended to work together on ‘capacity planning, service network, valued-added services, and liner agency’ matters.
