Evergreen surprises industry with newbuilding order

Taipei-based Evergreen Line, has surprised the shipping industry yet again by placing an order for 20 new neo-panamaxs with Samsung Heavy Industries of South Korea.

Evergreen said that it had booked the 15,000-TEU ships at the South Korean yard for between $115m and $139m each. The scrubber-fitted vessels are expected to be delivered between the second quarter of 2024 and June 2025.

The deal has surprised observers as Evergreen was thought to be splitting its orders between several Chinese, Japanese and South Korean yards. Industry sources predicted that Imabari Shipbuilding would build 10 of the new vessels with Shoei Kisen, part of the Imabari group, chartering them to Evergreen on long-term contracts.

However, ties between Evergreen and Shoei Kisen were placed under strain and media scrutiny this week after the Shoei Kisen-owned/Evergreen-chartered Ever Given went hard aground in the Suez Canal.

The accident may become a stumbling block to further deals between the two companies as Evergreen is on record as saying that the accident and potential damage to the Ever Given was Shoei Kisen’s responsibility.