Seaspan Corporation has signed a long-term charter agreement worth more than $1.5 billion with Israeli shipping line ZIM for the construction of ten 7,000 TEU LNG-powered containerships.
Seaspan has said it will sign shipbuilding agreements with a major shipyard, with deliveries expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2023 and through 2024.
The cargo shipowner has announced 55 orders for newbuilding vessels and the acquisition of four secondhand vessels, starting in December 2020.
Bing Chen, Seaspan’s chairman and CEO, commented, “We see these modern 7,000-teu vessels as the natural successor to the aging global fleet of conventional 4,000- to 9,000-teu vessels, where relatively little fleet renewal has occurred. We are experiencing strong customer interest in this size of vessel.”
In addition, in February of this year, ZIM and Seaspan closed a long-term charter agreement for ten 15,000 teu LNG-fueled vessels.
Eli Glickman, President and CEO of ZIM, stated, “With this second long-term charter agreement, we are securing access to our core fleet while maintaining operational agility with respect to the total number of vessels we operate. Since going public, and as this transaction demonstrates, we remain committed to the prudent deployment of capital and enhancing shareholder value.”
