The partnership with the Hengli shipyard continues, which already has ten 21,000 Teu ships and as many 24,000 Teu ships under construction for Aponte
China’ and MSC’s choice to focus on Chinese shipbuilding is a clear signal to the market: Chinese shipyards remain an indispensable market player.
News is bouncing back from China that Mediterranean Shipping Company MSC has made another major investment for the construction of another series of ultra large container vessels Quoted from Shipping Italy
Gianluigi Aponte
According to what was revealed by Xinde Marine News, the shipping company founded and led by Gianluigi Aponte has ordered six 22,000 TEU dual fuel container ships powered by LNG from the Hengli Heavy Industry shipyard.
Increasingly intense partnership
This continues the increasingly intense partnership between the Swiss global carrier and the Hengli naval engineering group, which in recent months had already received an order from MSC for ten 21,000 TEU ships and as many 24,000 TEU ships with a unit value exceeding 200 million dollars
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MSC is the first shipowner in the world
In recent days, the analysis and research company Alphaliner has highlighted the fact that MSC is the first shipowner in the world to reach an availability of 900 container ships, 609 owned and 291 in charter, for a total hold capacity of 6.5 million TEU.
A figure higher
Before this latest order just announced, the Italian-Swiss shipping company MSC had 132 new constructions on order, equal to a capacity of 2.06 million TEU, a figure higher than that expressed by the entire fleet of One (Ocean Network Express), which is currently the sixth largest liner in the world.
The signing of this contract
The signing of this contract with Xinde now has a particular significance also in geopolitical terms since it comes at a time when the United States seems seriously intent on introducing a new tax on the landing of ships ‘made in China’ and MSC’s choice to focus on Chinese shipbuilding is a clear signal to the market: Chinese shipyards remain an indispensable market player.
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In the past few hours, China Cosco Shipping Corporation, China’s leading maritime, port and logistics group, has also taken the field against the new port taxes promised by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), expressing its firm opposition.
Such measures –
“Such measures – the Chinese group underlined in a note – not only distort fair competition and hinder the normal functioning of the global maritime sector, but also threaten its stable and sustainable development. Ultimately, these actions risk compromising the safety, resilience and smooth functioning of global industries and supply chains”.
The World Shipping Council (WSC), the association chaired by Sorent Toft (CEO of MSC) which represents the main global shipping companies active in container transport, is on the same wavelength, according to which, “such measures could undermine American trade, damage US producers and weaken efforts to strengthen the national maritime industry”.
“Revitalizing the American maritime sector,” noted director Joe Kramek, “is an important and widely shared goal that requires a long-term legislative and industrial strategy.”
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Referring to the measures to revitalize the American maritime industry announced in recent days by Donald Trump, about which the association itself had already expressed considerable doubts, Kramek specified that the World Shipping Council has “welcomed the vision outlined in the President’s executive order, which proposes targeted initiatives to strengthen the shipbuilding industry, ports and supply chain resilience of the United States.
Unfortunately,” he specified, “the tariff regime announced by the USTR is a step in the wrong direction, as it will increase prices for consumers, weaken US trade and do little to revitalize the US maritime industry.”
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Plans to charge steep fees
It is noteworthy that The Trump administration is forging ahead with plans to charge steep fees on Chinese-built ships for stopping at US ports in an effort to revive its shipbuilding industry, but scaled back the penalties after warnings about the impact on consumers.
The Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) significantly watered down original plans from February, under which vessels built in China would be charged $3.5m (£2.6m) each time they docked at a US port. The US and China are locked in a trade war.
