Xiamen Shipbuilding cuts steel for 3rd EPS feeder

Chinese shipbuilder Xiamen Shipbuilding Industry, part of Fujian Mawei Shipbuilding, has held a steel cutting ceremony for a 2,900 TEU feeder being built for Eastern Pacific Shipping (EPS).

This is the third vessel from a series of six firm vessels, ordered back in March 2022. Under the contract, EPS has the option to order four additional ships potentially bringing the total to ten vessels.

The 2,900 TEU containerships feature 185.9 metres in length and 35.2 meters in width. They have been designed by Shanghai Ship Research and Design Institute (SDARI) featuring green and energy-saving technologies in line with its SDARI SeaLion series.

The vessels from the series are scheduled for delivery between 2023 and 2025 and will be classed by ABS. Once delivered, the ships will be compliant with the EEDI Phase III regulations. According to VesselsValue, the feeders have a market value of $32.9 million each.

This is the first ship construction deal between Fujian Mawei and EPS.

EPS also has eleven 15,300 TEU ships, powered by LNG, under construction in South Korea with scheduled delivery in 2022 and 2023. The newbuilds have been chartered by container liner giant MSC.

Last year, EPS placed an order for up to six 7,000 CEU dual-fuel RoRo vessels from China Merchants Jinling Shipyard (Weihai).

With a gross tonnage of 72,000 tons, each unit will be able to attain a speed of 19.5 knots.

The ships will be equipped with high-pressure dual-fuel main engines and 2,000 cubic meter LNG storage tanks, meeting the requirements of the International Maritime Organization’s TIER III emission standard.