World-largest shipping line Maersk Line is in talks to order ten 20,000 TEU ships from South Korean shipyard Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering for around US$1.5 billion.
PTI previously reported that China Cosco Holdings had spent around $1.4 billion on ten 19,000 TEU ships in a bid to significantly dominate the world’s busiest trade routes.
The Wall Street Journal reported a spokesperson as saying: “The new order—likely six firm ships and four options—will be announced in coming weeks and deliveries will start in 2017. The ships will likely be deployed in the Europe-to-Asia trade loop as part of Maersk’s 2M alliance with [Swiss-based] Mediterranean Shipping Co.”
Maersk has recently had one of its ships seized by Iranian forces in the Strait of Hormuz in the Middle East.
The reason for detainment was said to be caused as a result of an unresolved cargo claim. The ship has since been released and crewmembers have remained safe.
Maersk has recently come out on top as the world’s most reliable shipping line, having achieved an average on-time performance reliability figure of 81%.
A previous infographic published by PTI evidences Maersk as having the largest operational fleet.
