No price has been revealed for the latest order. For the first pair ordered in March this year, the Bangkok-based carrier paid US$85 million per vessel, with deliveries set for October 2024 and May 2025, respectively. The newbuildings will be 272.5 metres long and meet the requirements of Tier III emission standard of the IMO and EEDI phase III.

Shanghai Waigaoqiao has established itself as the top player in the construction of 7,000 TEU units, most recently securing orders from Seaspan, X-Press Feeders, TS Lines and CULines, reports Singapore's Splash 247.

Up until the start of the pandemic, the 7,000 TEU boxship class was relatively maligned, but over the last couple of years, it has become one of the most popular orders.

According to Alphaliner, there are now around 120 of this ship class on order, described as C7K.

"The sheer number of ships that will come on stream until 2025 will make the 'C7K' a versatile 'standard type' that should find employment in many corners of a carrier's network," Alphaliner stated in its most recent weekly report.