Regional Container Lines (RCL) has taken delivery of ANITTA BHUM, the first vessel in an eight-ship series of 4,488-TEU containerships under construction at CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding in China.

The handover took place at a ceremony in Guangzhou on 24 September, where RCL also named two further ships from the same series, BENYAPAR BHUM and CHANTISA BHUM. ANITTA BHUM left the yard the same day. The two named sisters follow on 19 October and 20 November, respectively.

Three ships, three trade lanes

RCL plans to spread the newbuildings across distinct parts of its network rather than concentrate them on a single loop. ANITTA BHUM will shortly sail from Shanghai to join the carrier's Far East–Latin America Service (AFL), which connects East Asia with Latin America.

BENYAPAR BHUM, once delivered in October, will be assigned to the Far East–Madras Service 2 (RFM2), serving Asia–Indian Subcontinent trade. CHANTISA BHUM follows in November and will operate on the South China–Indonesia Service (RCI02), reinforcing RCL's links between South China and Southeast Asia.

The three vessels represent the first deliveries from RCL's wider order for eight 4,488-TEU ships at the Chinese shipyard — a series that adds mid-size tonnage across some of the carrier's longest-haul and intra-Asian trades.

For shippers on the affected lanes, the arrivals translate into renewed capacity: the AFL service gains fresh tonnage on a Far East–Latin America corridor, while RFM2 and RCI02 receive new ships on routes feeding the Indian Subcontinent and Indonesia. For RCL, the staggered delivery schedule over just eight weeks allows a rapid network refresh before year-end. Five more vessels from the series remain to be delivered.

Fuel flexibility built in

The new series carries energy-saving technologies aimed at improving operational efficiency and cutting emissions. The vessels also feature Alternative Maritime Power capability, allowing them to draw shore-side electricity while berthed at suitably equipped ports — a growing requirement at major terminals tightening emissions rules at berth.

The ships are also designed to be ready for LNG, methanol and ammonia dual-fuel systems. RCL said this flexibility will allow the vessels to adopt alternative marine fuels as part of the carrier's longer-term fleet development strategy, hedging against uncertainty over which fuel pathway will dominate as decarbonisation deadlines approach.

With ANITTA BHUM now delivered and two sister ships due within two months, RCL has begun a rollout that will shape capacity on three of its key services — and five further 4,488-TEU units at Huangpu Wenchong will determine how far the renewal extends through the rest of the fleet.