Hot on the heels of Seaspan’s order for 13,600 teu newbuilds, Chinese boxship giant COSCO Shipping Lines has signed up for six similar-sized ships at Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding. The world’s fourth-largest containerline has tapped the CSSC-affiliated yard for a conventionally-fuelled series delivering by 2027. The 336-m-long newbuilds will be fitted with scrubbers and energy-saving devices such as anti-fouling paint and shore power charging systems. No value has been revealed; however, newbuilding sources suggest the deal settled in renminbi rather than US dollars, just like the Seaspan order, is worth more than $900m. COSCO Group is the fourth-largest box carrier, boasting a fleet of more than 500 ships, excluding over 50 newbuilds. COSCO-controlled Hong Kong-based liner operator Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) will also be taking Seaspan’s newbuilds on a 15-year charter for about RMB11.2bn ($1.57bn). The deal marks the fourth batch of orders for large boxships received by the Chinese state-owned yard this year, which also included Singapore’s Pacific International Lines (PIL) and Hamburg-based boxship and bulker owner and operator Peter Döhle. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1_95_0_1_2'); });