BAL Container Line is assuming control of two ultra-large containership newbuildings worth about $290m. BAL’s parent company, LC Logistics, said in a Hong Kong Stock Exchange filing that the company had been novated contracts for a pair of 14,000 teu boxships at Jiangnan Shipyard in a deal with Lecang Fantasy worth around $58m, representing 20% of the total purchase price of the newbuildings. Lecang Fantasy is owned by LC Logistics chairman and controlling shareholder Xu Xin. The company ordered the duo for $144.8m each in June this year. The Hong Kong-registered Shanghai-based liner will pay the remaining sum of about $231.7m to Jiangnan for the ships estimated for delivery in 2026 and 2027. BAL was incorporated in 2012 as a near-sea liner operator of chartered-in tonnage, but this changed in 2021 when the company moved into the ownership space. This was followed by a newbuild order in 2022 for a pair of 14,000 teu ships, which were, however, recently novated to Swiss liner giant MSC in a deal worth more than $330m in total. BAL recently resumed its voyages between China and Mexico, which could see its owned newbuild tonnage deployed on this service. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1_95_0_1_2'); });