By Gavin van Marle (The Loadstar) – There are increasing rumors in the shipping industry that Maersk is about to place a significant number of new orders for ships, which could potentially double its current newbuilding plans.
Last week, analysts from Linerlytica observed that Maersk has been the most active player in the charter market. The company is working hard to secure more vessels to maintain its service levels, especially to replace chartered ships that are being returned, while facing few new deliveries expected over the next year.
According to the analysts, Maersk is likely to start addressing the shortage by launching a large newbuilding program. This would include orders for ships of 24,000 teu, 19,000 teu, and 18,600 teu, but these vessels would not be delivered until late 2029.
Reports that are not yet confirmed indicate that Maersk has placed an order for twelve 24,000 teu ships at the Jiangsu Yangzijiang shipyard, twelve 19,000 teu ships at Hengli HI, and six 18,600 teu ships at New Times shipyard.
Linerlytica's calculations show that Maersk now has orders totaling 1.5 million teu, which makes up 32% of its current fleet, a significant increase from 870,000 teu at the end of August.
Nevertheless, analysts from Alphaliner believe that Maersk's order book could be even larger.
It is thought that Maersk has asked Chinese and Korean shipyards to submit bids for around 20 ultra-large vessels, each at least 24,000 teu.
Additionally, the company is believed to be seeking offers for another 20 ships ranging from 18,000 to 20,000 teu.
If we assume that the average size of these vessels is 21,000 teu, this rumored order for 40 ships could add around 840,000 teu to Maersk’s order book. This would elevate its newbuilding plans from 1.21 million teu to 2.05 million teu, bringing the total to 134 ships, making it the second-largest fleet after MSC and ahead of COSCO, according to Alphaliner.
However, it's noted that CMA CGM might be behind the order for twelve 24,000 teu ships from Yangzijiang. The shipyard has reportedly signed a letter of intent to build that number of dual-fueled boxships for an undisclosed shipping line.
Alphaliner has not yet identified the carrier but believes that CMA CGM is the most likely operator behind this letter of intent.
Earlier this year, Alphaliner learned that CMA CGM was looking for another set of 'megamaxes'.
Yangzijiang already builds ten LNG dual-fuel ‘Jacques Saade Mk-III’ class ships, each with a capacity of 24,212 teu. The first of these was delivered in May, with the series expected to be completed by March 2028.