German container line Hapag-Lloyd ordered five 10,500 TEU container ships from the South Korean shipyard Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries, to be deployed on South American routes once the expanded Panama Canal opens.
The ships are to be built at the yard in Samho, on the south coast of Korea.
The new ships will be deployed primarily on South American routes. The expansion of the Panama Canal is one of the biggest civil engineering projects in the world says Hapag, allowing the passage of large vessels of up to 14,000 TEU from what is known as the post-Panamax class.
The new Hapag-Lloyd ships will have 2,100 reefers plugs, making the newbuilds suitable for transportation of perishable goods such as fruit, vegetables, meat, fish or pharmaceutical products.
”This order for five vessels underlines Hapag-Lloyd’s leading role in the Latin American trade. Following our successful merger with CSAV, we are one of the market leaders in this attractive trade and offer our customers a variety of excellent connections to and from South America,” said Anthony J. Firmin, Chief Operating Officer at Hapag-Lloyd.
The ships are scheduled for delivery between October 2016 and May 2017.