CONTAINER SHIP: NYK orders new boxboats

Japan’s NYK Line has ordered eight 14,000TEU boxships from the Kure shipyard of Japan Marine United, all for delivery between February 2016 and January 2018. The vessels will be used to replace existing ships in the G6 Alliance Asia-Europe service, as well as four smaller 13,000TEU ships that are currently on charter from Hong Kong’s Orient Overseas Container Line. To be registered in Panama, the newbuildings will measure 364m by 51m and will have a deadweight of about 123,000 tonnes on a draught of 15m. This compares to the line’s existing 65,935dwt NYK Meteor class that measure 294m by 32.2m and sail on a maximum draught of 13.5m. JS