German shipping line Hapag-Lloyd has placed an order for eight 8,750-TEU containerships with South Korean ship builder Hyundai Heavy Industries.

The new vessels will be delivered between December 2009 and the first half of 2010. They are to be deployed on Asia routes, the trade that is expected to see the highest growth in global container volume given China and India's rapid economic growth.



A statement from the Hamburg-based carrier said its order for new vessels comes in response to industry forecasts that worldwide, the container shipping industry is set to grow to 138 million TEU by 2011, an increase of more than 40 per cent over the volume carried in 2006.



Unlike the world's largest shipping line by fleet size, Maersk, which recently took delivery of several 11,000-TEU vessels, Hapag-Lloyd chairman Michael Behrendt said his company is opting for more moderately-sized vessels.



"With this order, Hapag-Lloyd is giving fleet homogeneity and thus savings in operational costs priority over opting for a ship size capable of transporting over 10,000 TEU. We have had very positive results with the five units we already deploy. They are efficient and incorporate state-of-the-art technology, and they can be flexibly deployed on various routes if required by the market situation."



The 8,700-TEU newbuildings will have a length of 335 metres, beam of 43 metres, deadweight capacity of 103,000 tonnes, and measure over 60 metres from keel to superstructure top.