This week Samsung Heavy Industries announced that it had developed the world’s largest container ship, with a capacity of 16,000 TEU.
SHI has confirmed that it has received orders from Israeli carrier, Zim Line, to build eight 12,000 TEU container ships.
SHI constructed the world’s first 6,200 TEU class container ship in 1999, when 5,000 TEU ships were the norm. In 2003, SHI developed a 9,600 TEU ship, which was followed by a 12,000 TEU ship in 2005.
The 12,000 TEU vessel is currently undergoing an expansion in construction, which will be completed in 2015 to transit the Panama Canal. 120 orders for this ship this year suggest that the world container ship market is rapidly refocusing on 12,000 TEU vessels.
This brings SHI’s orders for 2007 to day to a total of 37 ships in the 12,600 TEU and 13,300 TEU classes, accounting for 31% of the world market. SHI plans to shift its sales strategy to 16,000 TEU ships in 2008.
SHI is currently building a 400 metre floating dock on which to construct the 16,000 TEU ships, which it plans to start operating in the first half of 2009. The company also plans to pursue research on ice-breaking container ships.
Industry experts expect the world container cargo ship market to reach a growth level of more than 10% per year by 2010. The average sea cargo load has increased from 5.9 billion tons in 2000 to 7.5 billion tons in 2006. Of the 260 orders received thus far in 2007 for ultra-large container ships, 62% are for vessels over 8,000 TEU.
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