ContainersGreater China

BAL Container Line orders its first ships

Fast growing Chinese containership operator BAL Container Line has placed its first newbuild orders. Clarkson Research Services is reporting the Hong Kong-registered outfit has ordered two firm 14,000 teu vessels at Jiangnan Shipyard for delivery in 2025. The order comes with options for two more ships. No price has been revealed for the panamax newbuilds. Data from Alphaliner suggests the ships are in fact 14,700 teu in terms of capacity.

BAL is one of a host of new Chinese lines to have grown very rapidly during the pandemic. At the onset of covid, the carrier was outside the top 100 liner list, but today ranks 46th in Alphaliner’s rankings.

Based in Qingdao in Shandong province, BAL was incorporated in August 2012 and is a subsidiary of Shandong Lcang International Logistics, which is owned by Chinese businessman Xu Xin. It started out as a tonnage provider before becoming an intra-Asia operator. Last year it launched services on the transpacific as well as on the Asia-Europe tradelane.

Sam Chambers

Starting out with the Informa Group in 2000 in Hong Kong, Sam Chambers became editor of Maritime Asia magazine as well as East Asia Editor for the world’s oldest newspaper, Lloyd’s List. In 2005 he pursued a freelance career and wrote for a variety of titles including taking on the role of Asia Editor at Seatrade magazine and China correspondent for Supply Chain Asia. His work has also appeared in The Economist, The New York Times, The Sunday Times and The International Herald Tribune.
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