MSC in talks with Indian Government, shipyards
With no room at China’s yards, MSC could shift its newbuilding spree elsewhere (Source: MSC)
Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) could be following fellow liner giant Maersk in expressing an interest in India for ship repair and construction.
The Swiss box major is reportedly in talks with the Indian Government to establish a new shipyard to repair and maintain its vessels as well as potentially build new ones, the Economic Times of India reports. The move would be part of an initiative to create shipbuilding and repair capacity outside China, where MSC “...has an association with a Chinese shipyard… which acts as a captive facility where they have been building and repairing their own ships,” an unnamed government official said.
Even with Chinese shipyards having massively ramped up their capacity, including recommissioning defunct drydocks and hiring new personnel, all are full until the late 2020s. MSC, meanwhile, has been on a newbuilding rampage, with recent orders at Hengli Heavy Industry, formerly STX Dalian, adding into its orderbook of more than 2.13 million TEU of new tonnage – enough to bring its fleet up to 6.27 million TEU. If MSC’s orderbook alone were a carrier, it would be the world’s sixth-largest, just behind Hapag-Lloyd.
MSC is reportedly also in talks with Pipavav-based Swan Defence & Heavy Industries, which can theoretically accommodate vessels of up to 400,000dwt – the same size as Valemax VLOC Sohar Max. The latest developments at Swan Defence & Heavy Industries are covered elsewhere in this week’s SRN.
