Samsung Heavy Industries announced today that it has penned another batch of containership newbuilding orders with Evergreen.
The Taiwanese owner has inked seven 8,000-teu vessels at the South Korean shipbuilder on Tuesday, adding to the 10-ship order for same sized vessels it inked with the same yard in early July this year.
Samsung and Evergreen say the latest vessels have a price tag of $103m each, the same figure it must stump up for the original haul.
Private company Evergreen International Corp of Panama, which is wholly-owned by the Evergreen Group, has added a further three at the same price.
This latest round of ordering takes Evergreen’s newbuilding tally to 20, all at Samsung.
Samsung says it is for the first time in 36 years after its establishment that it won 20 large ship orders in a single year from one shipowner.
Evergreen’s decision to turn to Samsung for the latest round of vessels in its long-heralded 100-ship spree comes as no surprise.
The Chang Yung-fa-led company was in talks with Samsung after negotiations to pen between 10 and 12 vessels at STX fell flat.
CSBC Corp is also tipped to be in for a slice of the pie originally destined for STX.
Samsung explains Evergreen, which had ordered new ships only in Japan in the past 16 years, chose Samsung this time around as Samsung's containerships are energy-efficient and eco-friendly, which can save 30,000 tons of fuel and reduce 80,000 tons of carbon emission during ship's life time.
Including the latest Evergreen contracts, Samsung has secured new orders for 70 ships worth $7.1bn so far this year, attaining 89% of its annual order target of $8bn.
Meanwhile, Evergreen has cast doubt on its much-anticipated 100-ship newbuilding plan after penning another newbuilding series at Samsung.
Chang Yung–fa’s Evergreen says it remains in talks with yards at home and overseas but suggests its original headline target may not be reached.
Given the apparent slowdown in the global economic recovery, however, a spokesperson says the original 100-vessel goal may not be reached. It is subject to change “depending on market developments”, she said.
While talks are still ongoing between the Taiwanese owner and “several yards” in South Korea and Taiwan, the spokesperson refuses to reveal how many newbuildings are currently under discussion.
* Source: asiasis.com |
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