Evergreen Line has announced plans to charter an additional 10 containerships, each a capacity of 14,000 TEU.
The Taiwanese carrier said it had signed charter agreements with both Costamare and Shoei Kisen Kaisha for each to provide, on charter, five 14,000-TEU containerships to be delivered during 2016 and 2017, respectively.
Evergreen said the 10 new vessels "will further optimize the competitiveness of Evergreen's operating fleet and reduce the carrier's unit costs. As this is a fleet renewal program, the new buildings will be replacements for existing vessels and balanced by the redelivery of currently chartered ships when charter periods expire. Evergreen's operating tonnage, therefore, will not be increased."
Evergreen said the ten ships will be equipped with fuel-saving technology and that their fuel consumption will be substantially lower than ships of the same size built prior to 2010.
American Shipper