On October 23, CSSC Chengxi Shipyard disclosed that it had signed construction contracts with a well-known European shipowner for four more 3,700 TEU containerships, marking another step forward for Chengxi in the feeder containership segment.

In fact, Chengxi did not disclose the specific shipowner or details, saying only that “this project is another containership construction order following the 910 RFEU and 3,100 TEU projects.” Shipbuilding brokers and market sources said Peter Dohle may be the potential shipowner, further expanding its orders at Chinese shipyards.

Alphaliner said the series of feeder ships will be built to the MARIC HERCULES 3700 design. Analysts said Chengxi still has a small number of 2028 berth slots available and can at least undertake construction of the first batch of vessels.

Chengxi said the latest order further enriches its feeder containership product range and continuously enhances the company’s competitiveness in the green, high-end ship market. In the future, Chengxi will continue to adhere to innovation-driven and green development, deepen in-depth cooperation with high-end customers, continuously optimize its product structure, constantly improve its feeder containership construction capacity and market influence, and keep polishing the “Chengxi Shipbuilding” brand.

If the news is confirmed, the latest order will further increase Peter Dohle’s orderbook. Previously, in April, Peter Dohle placed an order at Chengxi for two 3,198 TEU feeder containerships, namely the “ANNABELLA” and “ANASTASIA,” which are currently expected to be delivered in 2028. It is understood that Peter Dohle also holds options for another two vessels of the same specification, but it remains unclear whether these options are related to the latest four larger ships.

Meanwhile, Peter Dohle has continued to expand its containership fleet in recent years. Previously, according to tracking reports by ShippingChina, Peter Dohle placed an order at Hudong-Zhonghua for two 14,000 TEU neo-Panamax containerships, increasing its orderbook for this ship type to six.

In addition, Peter Dohle has ordered four 2,900 TEU feeder containerships at Huangpu Wenchong and may also be linked to up to five 8,400 TEU LNG dual-fuel containerships at Guangzhou Shipyard International.