CULines has significantly expanded its fleet by ordering two 14,000 teu tankers from Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding. These vessels are the largest ships ever ordered by this Shanghai-based company and also represent the first new fleet above 10,000 teu.
Order Details
These vessels, designed to run on conventional fuel, are 335 meters long and 51 meters wide, with a designed speed of 21 knots. The price and delivery date of these ships have not yet been publicly announced.
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Fleet Expansion and New Strategy
This move represents another step in the expansion of CULines' fleet, which began earlier this year. The company returned to ordering in April 2023 after a four-year absence, ordering four 6,400 teu ships from CSSC Huangpu Wenchong. These ships will also operate on conventional fuel and will serve the intra-Asia network as well as longer routes to the U.S. West Coast, the Red Sea, East Africa, and the Mediterranean.
The recent order is double the size of CULines' largest new program. In 2022, the company ordered two 7,000 teu ships from Shanghai Waigaoqiao at a price of $85 million each, but never added them to its fleet. These two ships were sold to Wan Hai in 2024 for about $91 million.
The new order also indicates a return to larger tonnages, after CULines had significantly retreated from long-term trades over the past three years. The company, which had rapidly expanded into Asia-Europe markets and trans-Pacific services, exited its last ships from both trades in 2023 and focused on intra-Asia operations, while its fleet had shrunk to about 30,700 teu.
However, this position is now changing. According to Alphaliner rankings, CULines is ranked 22nd globally and has 44 owned and chartered ships with approximately 105,000 teu. The company continues to add services connecting China with Southeast Asia, India, the Middle East, and the Red Sea.
The new 14,000 teu order gives CULines more power to return to mid-term and long-term trades if it wishes.
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