Greek owner Conbulk is moving into the newbuilding arena， with a pair of 5，000 teu containerships at China’s revived Yangzhou Guoyu Shipbuilding， according to shipbroking and market sources.

The ships are expected to deliver from the end of 2027. Prices have not been disclosed， though brokers place similar mid-size boxships in China at around $60m apiece.

The order marks a shift in strategy for Dimitris Dalakouras-led Conbulk， which has mainly built its fleet through secondhand acquisitions. The Piraeus-based company currently controls 34 vessels， primarily feeder boxships and two bulk carriers， with the most recent fleet addition being the 3，450 teu Adelie P， acquired from Celsius Shipping earlier this year.

Yangzhou Guoyu， which was reorganised under new ownership after filing for bankruptcy in 2021， has drawn growing interest from foreign buyers since restarting operations. In September， Chartworld Shipping， controlled by Greece’s Kollakis family， signed a letter of intent for up to eight 3，100 teu vessels at the yard.

Market activity in the container newbuilding segment has stayed firm across vessel sizes， from 1，800 to 6，000 teu， with most projects placed at Chinese yards. MB Shipbrokers said a major European liner — understood to be Germany’s Hapag-Lloyd — is close to ordering two series of methanol dual-fuel vessels in the 3，500 teu and 4，500 teu ranges.

Despite some softening in prices for larger tonnage， demand for feeder and mid-size boxships has remained strong. MB Shipbrokers added that the competition from smaller or non-traditional shipyards is helping maintain stable pricing as builders seek to capture a share of the resurgent feeder market.