Shippingtelegraph: Samudera-Imoto venture orders newbuild to support Japan market push

Published by shippingtelegraph

Samudera Japan and Imoto Corporation’s joint venture entered into a shipbuilding contract for a new container vessel.

The company, Blue Ocean Shipping, established by the subsidiary of container shipping group Samudera Shipping Line – Samudera Japan – and Imoto Corporation, part of the Imoto Lines Group, signed on August 6 a shipbuilding contract with Zhejiang Xinle Shipbuilding, as builder, and Ningbo Xinle Shipbuilding Group, as seller, for the construction and purchase of a new 696-TEU container vessel.

Samudera Shipping Line said the new vessel is expected to be delivered to Blue Ocean Shipping by the first half of 2028.

In a filing, the company said the construction of the new vessel is in line with the intent behind the establishment of Blue Ocean Shipping to “prudently capture suitable opportunities” in Japan’s coastal and regional markets.

Samudera Japan and Imoto Corporation hold 51% and 49% stakes, respectively, in Kobe-based Blue Ocean Shipping.

To remind, Imoto Corporation is a Japanese shipping company specialising in coastal and domestic maritime transportation as part of the Imoto Lines Group.