SEOUL: South Korean liner operator Korea Marine Transport Co., Ltd. (KMTC) has placed its first newbuilding order with a Chinese shipyard, signing for six 3,100-TEU containerships at CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding.
The contract was signed in Guangzhou on 26 October 2026 with Huangpu Wenchong and China Shipbuilding Trading Co., Ltd. (CSTC). The six vessels will provide a combined nominal capacity of 18,600 TEU. According to the shipyard, the agreement marks both KMTC’s first newbuilding project in China and its first order with China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC).
KMTC joins a Korean customer base that already includes Sinokor, HMM, CK Line, Namsung Shipping and Namsung’s subsidiary Dongyoung Shipping. Their projects span small feeder containerships, midsize boxships and multipurpose heavy-lift vessels, illustrating the range of business Huangpu Wenchong has developed with South Korean owners.
A proven design adapted for KMTC
The vessels will be based on Huangpu Wenchong’s proprietary “Honghu”, or Swan, 3,100-TEU design, which has already attracted series orders from overseas customers. The yard said the design would be further refined to meet KMTC’s operating requirements, with improvements intended to enhance operating economics, flexibility and suitability for different services. Contract prices and delivery dates have not been disclosed.
KMTC has long focused on intra-Asian container shipping and has historically placed most of its newbuilding business with domestic yards. Its decision to commission six vessels in China therefore adds a new shipbuilding partner to its procurement programme. For Huangpu Wenchong, the project combines an established vessel design with customer-specific modifications as it begins working with another regional liner operator.
Korean orders accumulate in 2026
The KMTC contract follows several other Korean orders secured by Huangpu Wenchong this year. On 4 March, the yard and CSTC signed contracts with Namsung Shipping and its subsidiary Dongyoung Shipping for two 4,300-TEU vessels and two 1,900-TEU feeders. These were the yard’s first projects with the two companies.
Shipbroker G. Moundreas, in its weekly review dated 6 March, identified Namsung as the buyer of the 4,300-TEU pair and Dongyoung as the buyer of the 1,900-TEU vessels, listing delivery in 2028 for both programmes. The combination offers different operating capabilities within the same group: larger ships for routes with sufficient cargo volumes, alongside smaller feeders suited to a wider range of regional ports.
A further agreement disclosed in August covered two firm 6,400-TEU containerships for CK Line, with options for two additional vessels. Across these three disclosed programmes alone—Namsung and Dongyoung, CK Line, and KMTC—Huangpu Wenchong has secured 12 firm containership orders from Korean customers in 2026, plus two options. That total excludes earlier Korean projects and does not treat CK Line’s optional vessels as firm orders.
