Samsung Heavy Industries announced on Mar. 2 that it had obtained a contract for four container ships, each with a capacity of 20,100 TEU, from MOL at a contract price of US$619.57 million. The ships, which are 400 meters in length, 58.8 meters in width, and 32.8 meters in height, are scheduled to be delivered by Aug. 2017.
A computer-generated render of what the completed 20,100 TEU ship will look like fully loaded.
Back in 1999, when 5,000-TEU container ships were prevalent, Samsung Heavy Industries developed the world’s first 6,200-TEU container carrier. Since then, it expanded its capacity to 8,100 TEU in 2002, 9,600 TEU in 2003, 13,300 TEU in 2006, and 16,000 TEU in 2007 to lead the growth of the industry.
The four container carriers are to be equipped with propellers, rudder bulbs, stators, and may more energy-saving and eco-friendly devices Samsung Heavy Industries developed on its own. Since the beginning of this year, the company has obtained US$1 billion-worth of orders for six ships.