Evergreen Group signed an order last week with Japanese shipbuilder Imabari for ten 2,800 TEU class B-type vessels.  These are in addition to the order for ten similar vessels announced last month from CSBC in Taiwan.

The first ship is planned to be delivered during the first half of 2018 with the completion of the series due by the first half of 2019.  All twenty newbuildings are planned to be deployed in the intra-Asia trade.

Evergreen’s B-type vessels will be nearly 700 feet in length, 108 feet wide, and have a design draft of 33 feet with a capacity of around 2,800 TEU. The ships are designed to load 13 rows of containers on deck, which is within the span of existing gantry cranes in the major ports on the intra-Asian trade. The hull design of the vessels is wider in comparison to ships of a similar capacity. That design enables the ships to navigate in the shallower ports of the intra-Asia trade and to enhance their cargo carrying capability. The ships can cruise at a speed up to 21.8 knots.

The B-type vessels are also equipped with environmental protection devices and the latest technology to safeguard the sustainable development of the marine environment. The ships are to be equipped with an electronic-controlled fuel injection engine, which meets the IMO Tier II standards for NOx emission and the requirements of Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI), and can reduce emissions by around 20 percent in comparison with vessels of traditional designs.

Founded in 1901, Imabari Shipbuilding is Japan’s largest shipbuilder. The agreement for B-type vessels is the third project in which Imabari will participate in Evergreen Line’s fleet renewal program. Evergreen has signed agreements with Shoei Kisen Kaisha, the ship owning arm of Imabari Shipbuilding Group, to charter five 14,000 TEU containerships to be delivered in 2017 and eleven 18,000 TEU containerships to be delivered in 2018 and 2019.