Cosco Shipping Holdings has stepped up its container fleet expansion with a new shipbuilding programme worth approximately RMB 20.27 billion ($2.99 billion), covering 18 new container vessels at Chinese shipyards.
The latest investment includes contracts for twelve 22,000 teu LNG dual-fuel container ships and six 3,200 teu container vessels.
The new orders further underline the continued momentum in the container ship newbuilding market. Year-to-date, the group has signed contracts for 48 container vessels, representing an aggregate investment of around RMB 54.27 billion and adding approximately 676,800 teu of new capacity.
According to Cosco Shipping Holdings’ end-July disclosures, the latest batch of orders increases its owned newbuilding orderbook from 82 vessels to 100. The associated capacity rises from approximately 1.18 million teu to around 1.46 million teu.
The orders were placed through Cosco Shipping Asset Management Co., Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Cosco Shipping Holdings.
The twelve 22,000 teu LNG dual-fuel vessels were contracted with Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding. Deliveries are scheduled to take place sequentially between 2028 and 2030.
Separately, Cosco Shipping Asset signed shipbuilding contracts with CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding for six 3,200 teu widebody container vessels. These ships are scheduled for delivery between 2028 and 2029.
As of the end of July 2026, Cosco Shipping Holdings operated a self-managed container fleet of 606 vessels, with a combined capacity of approximately 3.66 million teu.
When its existing fleet is combined with its owned newbuilding programme and leased vessels currently under construction, the company’s total capacity, including ships already in service and vessels yet to be delivered, exceeded 5.3 million teu.
