Zhonggu Logistics Orders Two 14,000 TEU Neo-Panamax Container Ships

Chinese carrier Zhonggu Logistics ordered two 14,000 TEU Neo-Panamax container ships from Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding on October 13, 2026. These are the largest vessels contracted to date by the operator, which specializes in intra-Asia trade, and are part of a fleet expansion plan the company has been accelerating throughout the year.

The new vessels, designed in-house by Hudong-Zhonghua, will have a length overall of 336 meters, a beam of 51 meters, a depth of 30.2 meters and a design speed of 21 knots, powered by a conventional low-speed engine. The design incorporates a twisted rudder with bulb, energy-saving ducts and variable frequency drives for the engine room fans and seawater cooling pumps.

Trade News and Baird Maritime report that this order brings Zhonggu's newbuilding spending for 2026 to $1.37 billion. Splash247, however, notes that the company did not disclose the contract value or delivery dates for these two vessels, though it specifies that the earlier program of 18 smaller container ships ordered earlier in the year -eight of 6,300 TEU and ten of 1,800 TEU, built at Hengli Heavy Industries, China Merchants Jinling Shipyard and Wuhan Qingshan Shipyard- represented an investment of 6.86 billion yuan, around $1 billion, partly financed through 3 billion yuan raised from a convertible bond issue.

According to Splash247, Zhonggu Shipping Group, the controlling shareholder of listed company Zhonggu Logistics with a 57.46% stake, was the signing party on the contract with Hudong-Zhonghua. Last month, another Chinese carrier, China United Lines, had ordered two conventionally fueled 14,000 TEU vessels at the same shipyard, following an earlier order from German tonnage provider Peter Döhle, confirming the shipyard's growing orderbook for large container ships.