The mystery buyer of the 9,600-teu vessels is likely to be an Asian carrier
South Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries, the world's largest shipbuilder, will next month sign a contract to construct the world's largest container ships, putting the industry on the verge of the 10,000-teu (20ft equivalent unit) barrier, according to sources close to the shipyard.
The order, for up to five 9,600-teu ships, is expected within three weeks and, while the buyer remains a secret, Asian carriers are odds-on favourites to put the behemoths into service.
'We cannot divulge the identity of the shipowner for obvious reasons, but we expect the order to be placed shortly,' a source said.
If confirmed, the orders will be the first to eclipse the 9,000-teu capacity barrier and will come just six months since the industry broached the 8,000-teu threshold. More than 30 contracts have been placed for the latter category since the barrier was broken.
The ships ordered by the as yet unnamed owner are almost 15 per cent larger than the four 8,400-teu ships ordered by German shipowner and financier Norddeutsche Vermogen earlier this month from Korea's other big name in shipbuilding, Daewoo Heavy Industries & Machinery.