China Shipping Group signed shipbuilding contracts with CSSC-affiliated Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding for the construction of six 21,000 teu mega containerships on Saturday.

CSCL announced last week that it approved a proposal to bareboat charter six 21,000-teu containerships via its subsidiary China Shipping Nauticgreen Holdings, with options for five more.

The company said the decision was made to “uphold the low-carbon environmental protection concept of operations, comply with the current developing trend of the large-scale shipping market, and to further optimise the fleet structure of the Group.”

The vessels will be classified by both CCS and Lloyd’s Register. Further contract details were not revealed.

Splash understands that in a change from normal shipbuilding contracts – the five options will be built at Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co (DSIC), which belongs to CSIC, not CSSC. The two state-run shipbuilding giants – CSIC in the north and CSSC in the south – have been rumoured to be merging for some time.