SHANGHAI-HEADQUARTERD China United Lines (CU Lines) is looking to take advantage of the current elevated prices for secondhand box ship tonnage with brokers reporting the Raymond Chen-led box line has put six ships up for sale including some very modern tonnage.

The six ships in the shop window are the 2,433 TEU, 2023-built CUL Qingdao, the 2,433 TEU, 2024-built CUL Klang, the 2,689 TEU, 2023-built CUL Hochiminh, the 2,700 TEU, 2023-built CUL Shekou, the 2,800 TEU, 2011-built CUL Manila, and the 2,758 TEU, 2012-built CUL Jakarta.

VesselsValue lists CU Lines, which was founded in 2005, with a total of 13 ships plus two more on order while Alphaliner data lists the line as the 46th largest carrier in the world with a total fleet of around 30,000 slots.

"The continued lack of tonnage on the charter market in larger (and smaller segments) is driving a surge in secondhand pricing," noted a recent container markets report from broker Braemar, reports Singapore's Splash 247.