On March 11th, 2022, China Shipbuilding Trading Co., Ltd. (CSTC) and Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. (SWS), two subsidiaries of China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited (CSSC), secured an order for the construction of two units of 7,000TEU container vessels from Regional Container Lines (RCL) registered in Thailand.

The vessels are designed by Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute (SDARI), with LOA of 272.5 meters, width of 42.8 meters, depth of 24.6 meters and scantling draught of 15 meters. The vessels will be built in accordance with IMO Tier III emission standard and EEDI Phase III, and have the advantages of high efficiency and energy saving.

RCL was founded in 1979 and listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand in 1988. RCL provides liner services and feeder transportation services mainly in East Asia, Southeast Asia, Middle East and Indian Peninsula. RCL is a well-known regional feeder transportation company and owns a container fleet of nearly 50 units with a total capacity of over 80,000TEU.

This is the first time for CSSC to cooperate with RCL in the newbuilding field. CSTC together with SWS has undertaken 32 units of 7,000TEU container vessels since SWS undertook the first one in 2021, which makes SWS the number one of the world on holding orders of this type vessel. This contract signing marks that CSTC cooperate again with a new liner company in Southeast Asia since CSTC together with Jiangnan Shipyard secured 4 units of DF 14,000TEU container vessels from PIL last week, and CSSC’s container newbuilding business continuously makes new breakthroughs in Southeast Asia market, and also makes a positive contribution to CSSC’s brand construction.