TS Lines Orders Two 11,000 TEU Containerships for US$246 Million

Taiwanese shipping line TS Lines, listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, has ordered two 11,000 TEU containerships from Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding (SWS) for a total of US$246 million, at US$123 million per unit. The contracts were signed together with China Shipbuilding Trading Co Ltd (CSTC), with delivery of both vessels scheduled for 2030.

According to a filing with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, the investment will be funded through internal resources and bank loans. Each vessel will be paid in five installments: US$24.6 million against a refund guarantee, three payments of US$12.3 million tied to steel cutting, keel laying and launching, and US$61.5 million upon delivery.

The new vessels are neopanamax-type ships aimed at strengthening TS Lines' services in the Asia-Pacific region and other key markets, as the company expands its business beyond the intra-Asia routes that have historically defined it. The carrier is seeking to increase the share of owned tonnage in order to reduce its exposure to charter rate volatility, while also gaining fuel efficiency improvements and lower unit operating costs with the new units.

The order adds to a broad shipbuilding program that TS Lines has been pursuing at Chinese yards, covering both feeder vessels and larger units. In March 2026, the company had contracted four 2,900 TEU vessels at Fujian Mawei Shipbuilding for US$168.6 million, following an order for two vessels of the same size for US$84.3 million in November 2025. At Waigaoqiao, TS Lines had also previously ordered two 14,000 TEU dual-fuel methanol-powered vessels and two 7,092 TEU units. Founded in 2001, the carrier had, as of the end of June 2026, a fleet of 47 vessels with a combined capacity of close to 140,000 TEU, according to Splash 247, while Ports News Russia noted that its network spanned 47 services across 21 countries and 59 main ports, with a capacity exceeding 130,000 TEU.