CIMC Raffles become big winners in the wave of car carrier orders

The rapid growth of China’s auto export market has made China’s auto carrier fleet, Chinese shipowners, Chinese shipyards, and Chinese auto exporters the focus of the shipping market. With CIMC Raffles receiving three more orders for 7,000-car-space LNG dual-fuel vehicle carriers, Chinese shipyards have received more than 60 vehicle carrier orders since last year, sweeping the Japanese and South Korean shipbuilding industries and becoming the current round of vehicle carriers. The biggest winner of the wave of orders. CIMC Raffles also ranked fourth in the world with orders for 12 auto carriers, tying up with another Chinese shipyard, Nanjing Jinling Shipyard, which currently ranks first in the world, and became the leader in the field of auto carrier construction. Another “single champion”.

According to trade winds, the orders for the three ships came from two European shipping companies. Construction contracts were signed last month. The total value of the orders was 255 million US dollars (about 1.775 billion yuan), but the transaction has not been reported. Each new ship costs about 85 million US dollars, and the total price is 255 million US dollars. It is planned to be delivered in 2025. One of the new ships is ordered by the Greek shipping company Atlas Maritime, and the other owner is unknown.

According to Clarksons data, Atlas ordered a 7,000-space dual-fuel vehicle carrier at CIMC Raffles in April this year, with delivery scheduled for September 2024. According to the information on Atlas’ official website, the company has increased its order quantity from CIMC Raffles to 2 ships, and the second newly ordered ship is expected to be delivered in April 2025.

The car carrier ordered by Atlas has a total length of 199.90 meters, a width of 38 meters, a design draft of 8.60 meters, a gross tonnage of 69,000 tons, a service speed of 19 knots, and is equipped with two 1,650cbm C-type LNG fuel storage tanks, which meet the NOx Tier III requirements. Equipped with the most energy-efficient engines for the lowest environmental impact, this vessel has a reinforced deck and internal ramp system capable of carrying electric vehicles and heavy lift/engineering cargo.

Atlas noted that the timing of the order for the two new ships is well-timed in a rapidly tightening market, with strong demand drivers and limited capacity supply supporting an extremely optimistic market outlook.

Car carriers are a niche type of ship in many segments of the shipping market, having experienced a decade of low growth and low freight rates. Due to the imbalance of market supply and demand, the surge in demand, and port congestion, it has rebounded from the bottom in August 2020 and has continued to rise. In just two years, the freight rate of car carriers has continued to rise from a low of $10,000 per day in mid-2020. By August this year, the daily rent of a one-year charter of a 6,500-space car carrier had soared to a record high of $80,000. The freight rate increased by 700%.

On the other hand, orders for new ships have been quite limited over the past few years, and demand for new car carriers remains high. Since the beginning of last year, both independent shipowners and operating shipowners around the world have started a new round of new ship investment. The number of new ship orders for car carriers has reached as high as 76, while only 20 new ship orders have been accumulated during 2016-2020. Clarkson‘s data shows that up to now, there are 77 orders for car carriers, and all new ships under construction are powered by LNG dual-fuel.

At the same time, the price of new car carriers has continued to rise. As of September, the price of a 7,000-space car carrier has risen to US$91 million per ship, an increase of 33% from the beginning of 2021.

According to Clarkson‘s data, since last year, Chinese shipbuilding companies have undertaken a total of 61 car carrier orders, far higher than Japanese shipbuilding companies (13 ships) and South Korean shipbuilding companies (2 ships). In terms of shipyards, CIMC Raffles ranks fourth in the world in terms of orders for auto carriers, with a total of 9 vessels. If the latest 3 vessels are added, the number of orders on hand for CIMC Raffles will reach 12 vessels.

According to the latest news from trade winds, Italian shipowner Grimaldi will order 10 9,000-car ammonia fuel-reserved car carriers at China Merchants Group – Jinling Shipyard, worth 1 billion US dollars. More than 70 ships will undoubtedly be the biggest winner of this round of car carrier orders.

Data shows that there are currently about 700 car carriers in the world, which still cannot meet the rapidly growing market demand and the increasingly stringent new environmental protection regulations. Some car shipping companies believe that with the coming into force of new energy efficiency regulations, there is a need to vigorously promote green new buildings to meet demand. Earlier, a market analysis agency said that the global market still needs to build 200 LNG-powered vehicle carriers to meet both emission requirements and growing market demand. In this spring’s forecast report, Clarkson forecast demand for more than 300 new ships over the next decade, and said the forecast model was likely to be revised further in the context of tightening regulations.

Source: eworldship

再获3艘累计超60艘！中国船厂成汽车运输船订单潮大赢家

中国汽车出口市场的快速增长，让中国的汽车运输船船队、中国船东、中国船厂以及中国汽车出口厂商成为航运市场的焦点。随着中集来福士再获3艘7000车位LNG双燃料汽车运输船订单，让中国船厂自去年以来接获的汽车运输船订单超过60艘，横扫日本和韩国造船业，成为本轮汽车运输船订单潮的最大赢家。而中集来福士也以手持12艘汽车运输船订单排名全球第四位，在艘数上追平了目前排名全球第一的另一家中国船厂——南京金陵船厂，成为汽车运输船建造领域的又一“单项冠军”。

据贸易风消息，这3艘订单来自两家欧洲航运公司，在上个月已经签署了建造合同，订单总价值2.55亿美元（约合人民币17.75亿元）但交易一直未报道。每艘新船造价约为8500万美元，总价2.55亿美元，计划在2025年交付，其中1艘新船由希腊航运公司Atlas Maritime订造，另外一家船东身份不明。

克拉克森的数据显示，Atlas于今年4月在中集来福士订造了一艘7000车位双燃料汽车运输船，交付期定于2024年9月。而根据Atlas官网信息，该公司已经将其在中集来福士的订单数量增加到了2艘，新订造的第二艘预计将在2025年4月交付。

Atlas订造的汽车运输船总长199.90米，宽38米，设计吃水8.60米，总吨位69000吨，服务航速19节，配备2个1650立方米C型LNG燃料储罐，满足NOx Tier III规范要求。该型船配备最节能的发动机，实现最少的环境影响，强化甲板和内部坡道系统能够运载电动车以及重吊/工程货物。

Atlas指出，在迅速收紧的市场中，这两艘新船订单的时机恰到好处，强劲的需求驱动因素和有限的运力供应支撑了极度乐观的市场前景。

汽车运输船是航运市场诸多细分市场中的一类小众船型，经历了十年低增长低运费时期。由于市场供需失衡、需求激增以及港口拥堵等原因，自2020年8月触底反弹，随后连续上扬。仅两年时间，汽车运输船运价从2020年年中每天10000美元的低点开始持续上升，到今年8月6500车位汽车运输船一年期租约的日租金已经飙升至80000美元的历史新高，运价涨幅达到700%。

另一方面，过去几年来新船订单相当有限，市场对新建汽车运输船的需求居高不下。从去年年初至今，全球独立船东和经营船东都已经开启了新一轮的新船投资。汽车运输船新船订单量已经高达76艘，而2016-2020年期间累计仅20艘新船订单。克拉克森的数据显示，截至目前汽车运输船手持订单共计77艘，所有在建新船都采用LNG双燃料动力。

与此同时，汽车运输船新船价格持续上扬，截止9月7000车位汽车运输船价格已经涨到每艘9100万美元，较2021年初增长33%。

根据克拉克森的数据，去年以来中国船企累计承接61艘汽车运输船订单，远高于日本船企（13艘）和韩国船企（2艘）。以船厂而言，中集来福士的汽车运输船手持订单排名全球第四位，共计9艘，如果加上最新的3艘，其手持订单将达到12艘，与排名第一的招商工业南京金陵持平。

据贸易风最新消息，意大利船东Grimaldi公司将在招商局集团金陵船厂订造10艘9000车氨燃料预留汽车运输船，价值10亿美元，如果订单生效，中国船企手持汽车运输船订单将超过70艘，毫无疑问将是本轮汽车运输船订单潮的最大赢家。

数据表明，目前全球大约有700艘汽车运输船，依然不能满足高速增长的市场需求，以及越来越严的环保新规。有汽车运输承运公司认为，随着新能效法规的生效，需要大力推动绿色新造船以满足需求。此前有市场分析机构称，全球市场还需要再造200艘LNG动力汽车运输船，才能既满足排放要求，又满足不断增长的市场需求。而在今年春季的预测报告里，克拉克森预测未来十年有超过300艘新船需求，并且表示在法规日趋严格的背景下预测模型有可能进一步上调。

来源：国际船舶网