Orders increase for extra large container ships

Many shipping companies are ordering extra large container ships such as 8,000 TEU class vessels.
According to KMI (Korea Marine Institute), larger container ships will become commonplace as Costamare Shipping in Greece and OOCL in Hong Kong placed orders for 8,000 TEU class extra large container ships.
Costamare Shipping contracted for five 8,200 TEU class container ships with HHI (Hyundai Heavy Industrial) on July 8. The five ships will be delivered in the first half of 2006.
HHI also contracted for over-sized container ships with Hapag-Lloyd and two other German shipping companies.
OOCL will place an order for two 8,063 TEU class container ships with SHI (Samsung Heavy Industries).
OOCL will then have ten 8,063 TEU class container ships ordered from SHI.
The chief of the marketing team at OOCL said, "The contract for 8 container ships set the price at 80 million dollars a ship, but the price for the next two ships is yet to be fixed."
He added, "These two ships will be delivered in 2006 and 2007. Two of the previously ordered 8 ships have already started operating."
OOCL also plans to change ships in Asia-Europe, and Asia-U.S. lines from 5,500 TEU class vessels to 8,063 TEU class vessels to cover increasing cargoes.