Contships Launches Potential 30-Ship Feeder Newbuilding Program in China
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Contships Logistics has moved toward one of the largest feeder containership newbuilding programs currently under consideration, with wholly owned CLC Newbuildings signing a letter of intent with Hubei Guangji Green Energy Shipbuilding Group for a base tranche of 10 new 1,300-TEU ships plus two separate 10-vessel option blocks. The new ContshipMax CV1300 design, developed with SDARI, is rated at 1,324 TEU with 340 reefer plugs and will use Tier III Mitsubishi main engines, low-pressure SCR systems, Daihatsu generators, shaft generators and additional energy-saving equipment. If both option packages are exercised, the program would reach 30 ships and 39,720 TEU, exceeding Contships' current 27-vessel fleet in both vessel count and nominal carrying capacity. Contract pricing and delivery dates have not been disclosed, and the announced transaction remains structured as an LOI rather than a disclosed final 30-vessel shipbuilding contract.
A 27-Ship Owner Has Opened a Path to as Many as 30 New Feeders
Contships has moved from secondhand fleet renewal into a potentially much larger newbuilding program. The disclosed LOI starts with 10 ContshipMax CV1300 vessels and gives the company two additional 10-ship option blocks.
1,324-TEU ContshipMax CV1300 feeder containerships covered by the initial LOI structure.
Exercising this package would take the potential program to 20 vessels.
Full exercise would increase the program to a maximum of 30 ships.
Full 30-Ship Program at Published Design Capacity
Thirty vessels multiplied by the published 1,324-TEU design capacity.
Thirty ships at 340 refrigerated-container connections per vessel.
Contships reported 27 owned feeder vessels as of June 30, 2026.
Combined nominal capacity of the 27 vessels on Contships' current published fleet list.
Nineteen of the 27 vessels on Contships' current published fleet list were built in 2010 or earlier. Sixteen were built in 2009 or earlier.
Every vessel in the disclosed program uses the same 1,324-TEU feeder design, creating a potentially large standardized replacement platform.
ContshipMax CV1300: What Is Known and What Is Still Open
The published design package is already detailed enough to define the basic vessel concept, but several commercial variables remain undisclosed.
| Program Item | Published Detail | Status | Operational / Supplier Relevance | Still Undisclosed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Order Structure | 10 base vessels plus two separate 10-vessel option packages. | LOI Signed | Maximum program reaches 30 ships if both option blocks are exercised. | Option exercise dates and detailed commercial conditions. |
| Design | ContshipMax CV1300 developed with Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute. | Defined | Standardized series could support repeat equipment packages, spares and maintenance arrangements. | Full principal dimensions and class notation were not included in the public reports reviewed. |
| Container Capacity | 1,324 TEU per vessel. | Published | Places the vessels in Contships' core small-feeder operating segment. | Detailed intake at alternative drafts and homogeneous load conditions. |
| Reefer Capacity | 340 reefer plugs per ship. | Published | Ten ships would provide 3,400 reefer connections; all 30 would provide 10,200. | Electrical loading assumptions and maximum simultaneous reefer demand. |
| Main Propulsion | Tier III Mitsubishi main engine with low-pressure SCR. | Specified | Creates demand across main engine, aftertreatment, monitoring and lifecycle service packages. | Published engine model, power rating and service speed. |
| Auxiliary Power | Daihatsu generators plus shaft generator. | Specified | Shaft generation can reduce auxiliary-engine use during suitable operating conditions. | Generator ratings and electrical architecture. |
| Fuel | Conventionally fuelled design. | Reported | Efficiency is being pursued through hull, machinery and energy-saving measures rather than a disclosed dual-fuel package. | Fuel-storage arrangement and any future-ready notation. |
| Delivery Schedule | No dates disclosed. | Open | Delivery timing will determine how quickly the vessels can replace older tonnage or expand the fleet. | First delivery, cadence and completion of option vessels. |
| Contract Price | No price disclosed. | Open | Total capital commitment cannot yet be calculated from public information. | Price per vessel, financing structure and option pricing. |
Hubei Guangji Is a Newly Commissioned Export Yard
The new Wuxue facility has ten standardized shipbuilding berths.
Reported annual steel-processing capacity at the new facility.
Major lifting infrastructure installed at the shipbuilding complex.
Wider yard development has been described with planned annual output of up to one million dwt.
Linerlytica reported in September that 1,925 containerships totaling 15.6 million TEU were on order, equivalent to roughly 45% of the existing fleet and the highest ratio since 2009.
Contships' 2025 annual report said the sub-3,000-TEU orderbook remained below 10% of the existing feeder fleet even while the overall container newbuilding pipeline was much larger.
Contships Newbuilding Scale Explorer
Select how many option tranches are exercised to see how the proposed CV1300 program compares with Contships' current 27-vessel fleet.
Program Capacity Versus Today's Published Fleet
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