TAIWAN's Evergreen has ordered 60,500 new containers at a cost of US$187 million, according filings in the Taiwan Stock Exchange.

Some 23,000 containers have been ordered from CXIC Group, 21,000 from Guangdong Fuwa Equipment Manufacturing and 16,500 from Dong Fang International, the latter a unit of Cosco Shipping Development.

Evergreen said it needed more containers to meet fleet growth, and announced the order after last week's disclosure that net profit had tripled in the first nine months from the year ago to $3.5 billion drawn on sales of $11 billion up 68 per cent.

This is Evergreen's second round of spending this year. In June, the seventh-largest container line ordered six 2,400-TEU methanol, dual-fuelled ships from CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding, for $348 million, and 50,000 containers from Dong Fang, China International Marine Containers and Singamas, spending around $162 million.

Alphaliner reported that the carrier had asked major shipbuilders to submit quotes for 11 methanol dual-fuelled 24,000-TEUers.