Hai An commits $70m to pair of 1,900 TEU feeder newbuildings at CSSC

Hai An Transport and Stevedoring has capped a US$70 million investment in two 1,900 TEU container newbuildings, signing a construction contract with China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) approved by both boards on 16 October 2026. The deal works out to roughly $18 million per 1,000 TEUs of capacity — a figure shippers and competitors in the intra-Asia feeder trade will read as a marker of where regional tonnage is heading.

The two vessels, hull numbers H2692 and H2693, will each offer a design capacity of 1,928 TEUs: 1,284 boxes on deck and 644 below. That is modest by deepsea standards, but the reefer fit is not. Each ship carries 313 reefer sockets supporting up to 280 refrigerated containers — a specification aimed squarely at the cold chain flows that increasingly drive feeder economics in Southeast Asian trades.

What are the delivery terms?

Steel cutting is scheduled for mid-2028. The first vessel is due by 31 October 2029 and the second by 30 November 2029. That is a three-year wait from contract approval to first delivery — standard for the feeder segment, but long enough that the market these ships enter may look little like today's.

The main dimensions frame the design:

• Length overall: 172 metres
• Breadth: 27.5 metres
• Moulded depth: 14.6 metres
• Deadweight: 24,415 tonnes
• Design draught: 10 metres
• Maximum speed: 18.5 knots
• Operating range: approximately 11,000 nautical miles

How do the ships meet emissions rules?

Propulsion comes from MAN B&W 6S60ME-C10.5 main engines, compliant with IMO Tier III nitrogen oxide standards and fitted with high-pressure selective catalytic reduction technology. Each vessel will also carry shore-power connections, sulphur oxide and nitrogen oxide emission-control systems, and non-toxic antifouling coatings.

Hai An said the low-friction hull coatings will reduce resistance and fuel consumption while complying with requirements at ports in markets including the United States and Australia. The claim is plausible for a 2029-delivery vessel; actual fuel savings will depend on operating profile, and the company has not published projected figures.

Why does this matter for feeder operators?

The investment sits within Hai An's stated strategy to expand, modernise and rejuvenate its fleet while improving operational efficiency and environmental performance. For a Vietnamese operator, that translates into a bet on continued intra-Asia volume growth and on tightening port emissions rules that will progressively price out older, non-compliant feeder tonnage.

For shippers moving refrigerated agricultural cargo out of Vietnam and neighbouring markets, the reefer-heavy design signals added plug capacity on Hai An services from late 2029. For competing feeder lines, it adds two modern, Tier III-compliant ships to a segment where orderbooks remain thin relative to deepsea trades — and where regulatory淘汰 of older units is accelerating.

What Hai An has not disclosed is intended deployment, chartering plans or financing structure. The $70 million figure is a maximum, not a final price, and CSSC delivery schedules for 2029 remain subject to the usual shipyard risk.

Barring slippage, the first of the pair should be in the water within three years of the contract date, adding compliant feeder capacity to Vietnamese trades just as emissions requirements at US and Australian ports tighten further.

By Marcus Bennett