South Korean shipowner Sinokor Merchant Marine has placed an order with compatriot shipbuilder HD Hyundai, securing four containerships in a deal valued at KRW 834.8bn ($611m). HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, the holding company of HD Hyundai, revealed the contract in a stock exchange filing, without disclosing the counterparty, but shipbuilding sources have named the Seoul-headquartered firm as the future owner of the 13,000 teu newbuilds. The vessels, which will be scrubber-fitted, are split evenly between HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and HD Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries. Under the contract, two vessels will be delivered by end-March 2028, and the remaining pair by end-June of the same year. The order marks a significant step up in scale for Sinokor, which had focused on vessels between 1,900 and 8,000 TEU in recent years. Upon delivery, the 13,000 teu units will become the largest boxships in the company’s fleet. Sinokor, currently ranked the 19th largest liner operator globally, operates a fleet of 75 container vessels, including 72 owned and 3 chartered units, with a combined capacity of around 141,000 teu. The company is also active in the tanker, bulker and LNG segments with an overall fleet of more than 120 ships. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1_95_0_1_2'); }); TagsSouth Korea