World’s Largest Container Ships
Samsung Heavy Industries is expected to sign a contract with Costamare to build 20,500 TEU container ships.
The Greek company is going to place orders for six 20,500 TEU container ships and Samsung Heavy Industries is likely to win four out of them. The price of each is estimated at US$155 million and the supply starts in March 2017.
Costamare awarded five orders for 14,000 TEU container ships to Samsung Heavy Industries last year, too. Imabari Shipbuilding of Japan is likely to take the other two.
“In the past, ships with a tonnage of more than 5,000 TEUs could not pass the Panama Canal due to the narrow width,” an industry source explained, adding, “However, logistics systems have been developed for transport by train from the western U.S. to the entire U.S. without passing the canal, which is leading to an increase in the tonnage of container ships.”