Investment manager MPC Capital, alongside its partners, has ordered four 5,500 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) eco-design container vessels at South Korean shipyard Hanjin.

Vessels under the new order are said to have advanced specifications and an eco-friendly design.

The first ship is expected to be delivered from Hanjin shipyard in the second quarter of 2023.

According to the investment manager, the eco-design supports 40% savings compared to the current fleet.

Furthermore, the design enables conversion to carbon-neutral operations using green methanol in the future.

MPC claims that the ship design has a high-profile environmental DNV notation.

The vessel will be built in line with EEDI-Phase 3 and NOx Tier III standards.

MPC Capital Shipping managing director Christian Rychly said: “We are convinced that the demand for new container ships with favourable specifications, a low consumption and high environmental ranking will increase.

“The orderbook in this size segment is fairly low and 80% of the vessels in the water today are non-eco ships. At the same time, the positive momentum in the container market continues.

“Fundamental data signal a further tightening of the supply of assets and with limited yard capacity available, the ordering of new ships with these non-replicable delivery positions in 2023 provides a very unique opportunity.”

Either directly or through subsidiaries, MPC Capital offer a wide suite of services, which include commercial as well as technical management.