Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) today announced a decision to order two containerships (8,600 TEU) from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd., with delivery slated for 2013. Along with eight 8,100 TEU ships already in operation, the new vessels will be deployed to Asia-Europe routes.
The company also reached an agreement with NOL Group* for a three-year charter of five large containerships (14,000 TEU) of 10 that NOL Group has on order. The five chartered ships will be delivered in 2013 –2014 and will serve with the other five operated by APL on Asia-Europe routes.
“Expansion of the fleet will secure needed capacity on the East-West route," said Junichiro Ikeda, CEO, MOL Liner.
(*) NOL (Neptune Orient Lines), based in Singapore, is the parent company of APL, one of MOL’s partners in The New World Alliance (TNWA)