Taiwan's Evergreen Group has ordered 10 containerships, each with a capacity of 8,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), from China Shipbuilding Corp. The contract represents Evergreen's third order of L-class vessels, and the first to be placed by the carrier with the Taiwanese shipyard since 1997. Three of the new ships will be built for Evergreen Marine Corp., four for Evergreen Marine (UK) Ltd. and three for Evergreen Marine (Singapore) Pte Ltd. All will enter the worldwide services of Evergreen Line, with the first ship due for delivery in 2013. Last July and September, the Evergreen Group placed orders for twenty 8,000-TEU L-class vessels with Samsung Heavy Industries. The first of those ships is due for delivery at the beginning of 2012. The L-class vessels have an overall length of 1,100 feet and a beam of 150 feet, with a maximum draft of 14.2 meters. They incorporate a number of new design features, including larger marine gas oil tanks, tin-free coatings and environmentally friendly materials, that will help to reduce carbon emissions, the carrier said.
