Danish liner giant Maersk has firmed up a contract with New Times Shipbuilding in China for the construction of eight large container vessels， continuing its long-running fleet renewal programme.

The ships will form a new series of 18，600 teu vessels， all built to the same specification， with deliveries scheduled across 2029 and 2030. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Maersk’s head of chartering and newbuilding， Anda Cristescu， said the deal is aimed at keeping the fleet competitive while preserving operational flexibility. “We are pleased to have signed this agreement for eight large vessels. The order is part of our ongoing fleet renewal and helps maintain our fleet’s competitive edge，” she said.

Although firmly in the ultra-large container vessel segment， the ships have been designed slightly shorter than the biggest boxships currently entering service. At 366 m in length and 58.6 m in beam， they are more compact than the 400-m vessels now seen as the upper limit in the sector.

Cristescu said this was a deliberate choice. “Deployment flexibility has been a key factor in our decision-making. Although these vessels are large， they offer greater flexibility than the largest ships currently being built in our industry， giving us more deployment options across both our current and future network，” she said.

The vessels will be equipped with dual-fuel engines capable of running on conventional bunker fuel or LNG.

Maersk operates more than 700 vessels and remains the world’s second-largest container shipping line. Following the latest deal， the group has 33 ships on order， including four due for delivery during the remainder of 2026.

The order builds on Maersk’s long-standing relationship with the Jiangsu-based yard. The liner is already set to take delivery of several series of dual-fuel containerships from New Times， comprising a mix of owned vessels and long-term chartered tonnage.

Shipbuilding sources had previously linked Maersk to a larger package of up to 12 ships of around 18，000 teu at the yard， priced at about $193m per vessel， with eight firm units and four options.