Capital said to expand box ship orderbook with two-vessel deal in Korea

On 24 July, South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Mipo disclosed a new contract for two 2,800-TEU container ships, valued at approximately US$114M. While the shipyard did not reveal the buyer’s identity – only describing it as an Oceania-based shipping company – shipbroking and market sources have linked the order to Capital Group, which has been approached for comment.

Some shipbrokers suggest the new pair represents options from previous contracts signed by Capital. This is supported by the early delivery timeline, with the ships scheduled for completion in Q3 2027.

In late May, Riviera reported on Capital’s aggressive newbuilding campaign for 2025, which includes six vessels exceeding 8,000 TEU and 14 smaller units of 2,800 and 1,800 TEU, all contracted with HD Hyundai.

According to Alphaliner, Capital Group is already a regular client of Hyundai Mipo. Its current fleet includes nine vessels of the yard’s 1,800-TEU design and four 2,800-TEU vessels.

The prominent Greek shipowner has exclusively focused on South Korean yards for new orders this year. In addition to container vessels, Capital has also placed orders for LNG carriers at HD Hyundai and VLCCs at Hanwha Ocean.
Evangelos Marinakis remains one of the most active Greek owners in the newbuilding market, spearheading a broad expansion programme across all major shipping segments.

Greek owners step up container vessel orders 

Container vessels led Greek newbuilding investments in the first half of 2025. According to Xclusiv Shipbrokers, Greek companies placed orders for 33 container vessels, nearly doubling the 17 contracted during the same period in 2024. Notably, container ships were the only segment to record global year-on-year growth, with 201 orders placed worldwide in H1 2025, up from 170 in H1 2024.

The availability of early delivery slots – particularly at Asian shipyards for mid-size and feeder vessels as early as late 2026 or 2027 – has made container newbuildings an increasingly attractive investment, especially compared with the heavily overbooked LNG carrier and tanker segments.

Other notable Greek investments in the segment include Latsco Shipping, backed by Paris Kassidokostas-Latsis, which has also committed to feeder container vessels. Additionally, Riviera recently reported that Chartworld Shipping, controlled by the Kollakis family, is actively exploring newbuilding opportunities in the Chinese market.