South Korea’s KMTC has announced its largest move in the newbuilding market to date, securing an order for four 13,000 TEU containerships at HD Hyundai Shipbuilding.
According to broker reports, the Seoul-based liner operator has committed to ordering four vessels at a price of approximately $150 million each. This marks a significant increase in the scale of ships ordered by the intra-Asia focused carrier and represents KMTC’s largest containership order both in size and value so far.
KMTC currently ranks 17th on Alphaliner’s list of global operators, with a fleet of over 60 containerships, most of which serve short- and medium-distance intra-Asian trade. The fleet has traditionally consisted mainly of smaller vessels, with only a few post-Panamax ships in operation.
Earlier this year, KMTC re-entered the trans-Pacific market after a 40-year absence. The company joined SeaLead Shipping and TS Lines in the Asia West Coast (AWC) service and separately launched a new Asia-Mexico route amid improving market conditions and growing cargo volumes.
KMTC has a long-standing relationship with HD Hyundai. In November 2024, it placed an order for two 8,700 TEU vessels, valued at around $115 million each, to be built at HD Hyundai Samho. Scheduled for delivery in March 2027, these ships were marked as the company’s largest order at the time.
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