The Evergreen group is positioning itself for an anticipated regional cargo boom as trade barriers in Asia continue to fall, ordering ten B-type newbuildings from a Taiwanese shipbuilder for deployment in the region.
Evergreen, Taiwan’s largest container shipping line, recently signed a deal for the construction of ten 2,800-TEU ships in the B-type category by shipyard CSBC Corporation. The box carrier plans to deploy the ships in the intra-Asia trade once delivered between the second half of 2017 and the first half of 2018.
The B-type vessels—211 meters in length by 32.8 meters in width and with a designed draft of 10 meters—are envisioned to carry 13 rows of standard containers on deck, which is within the scope of gantry cranes in the major intra-Asian ports. The hull of the vessels is wider than that of other ships of a similar capacity to allow for navigation in the region’s shallower ports.
Besides intra-regional cargo shipping, the new vessels are to act as feeder ships as well, in order to broaden Evergreen’s shipping network.
The energy-saving, environment-friendly ships are to be fitted with an electronic-controlled fuel injection engine to reduce emissions by about 20%, and to have cruise speeds of up to 21.8 knots to sharpen on-time reliability and competitiveness.
The company said the order is in expectation of robust regional trade expansion especially with the ongoing economic integration of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the proposed formation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, a planned free trade agreement between the 10-member ASEAN bloc and its six trade partners Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea, and New Zealand.
“Our decision to invest in these newbuildings is aimed at providing for the growth potential brought about by this free trade development,” said Evergreen’s second vice-group chairman Bronson Hsieh.
Photo: michelle zapa
