RCL Orders Boxship Pair in China

Thailand-based shipping company Regional Container Lines (RCL) has ordered two 1,668 TEU container vessels at Jiangsu New Yangzi Shipbuilding in China, the company said in a stock filing. 

The 20,000 dwt vessels will service regional container transport and are scheduled for delivery in April and July 2019, respectively.

The order also includes options for two more vessels of similar size and specifications, the company’s spokesperson confirmed to World Maritime News.

RCL will pay USD 19.6 million per each ship, using the working capital of the company and a bank loan as the source of funds.

As explained, the 172-meter-long vessels will replace existing older vessels in the company’s fleet “in a continuous effort to upgrade the existing fleet with new and efficient tonnage.” 

Currently, RCL’s fleet comprises more than 20 containerships with capacities ranging from 189 to 6,621 TEU. In addition, the company has four 1,688 TEU boxships on order at Jiangsu shipyard, with two of them slated for delivery in 2017 and two in 2018, VesselsValue’s data shows.