Jurong Shipyard Bags S$140 Million Shipbuilding Contract

Jurong Shipyard, a subsidiary of leading marine engineering group SembCorp Marine, clinched a S$140 million (US$84 million) contract from German shipowner Reederei F Laeisz for the construction of two units of 2,600 TEU container vessels.

The 2,600 TEU containerships, to be built according to Jurong Shipyard’s proprietary design, will have a high speed of 22.7 knots with high homogeneous container intake of more than 1,960 TEU at 14 ton per TEU. Designed to cope with increasing demands along regional trade routes, each container vessel is equipped with 400 reefers, with the ability to carry two-tier high cubes in every cargo hold. The first unit is scheduled for delivery in March 2006, while the second unit is due in September 2006.

Mr Chua Teck Lian, SembCorp Marine’s Senior Vice President of Marketing, said, “We are very pleased that the design of our 2,600 TEU container series is well received by customers. The idea of building the container vessels was mooted in 2002 in anticipation of an expected rise in demand for this size of containership. This decision coincides with the rising market trend, corresponding firming of prices for container vessels and at the same time meeting the owner’s delivery schedules.”

Jurong Shipyard, a one-stop total service shipyard, has six units of 2,600 TEU containerships on order, including the latest two units for Reederei F. Laeisz and four units for Taiwan’s containership operator Wan Hai Lines.

Reederei F. Laeisz, established in 1824, manages a diversified fleet of about 50 vessels in the 2.5 mio dwt range, including containerships, ro-ro vessels, bulkers, reefer vessels and gas carriers. Privately owned by the Schues-Family, the company has operations in Hamburg, Rostock and Bremerhaven.