Quintet of container ships

Japan

The Evergreen Group, of Taiwan, has ordered five 5,364 TEU U-class container vessels from

Japan

`s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.

The vessels will be delivered at regular phases until the second quarter of 2001 and will be deployed on a new pendulum service due to start next year. This latest order means that by June 2001, Evergreen will have a total of 18 U-class vessels in its fleet.

Mitsubishi already holds orders for eight U-class vessels, the first of which is due to be delivered in January 1999. It also built five vessels of a similar type in 1996/97 which Evergreen currently deploys on its Taiwan/Hong Kong service to the American West Coast.

The company says it does not intend to make major changes to its Taiwan/Hong Kong – US West Coast service which will continue to employ U-class tonnage.