Chinese containership player Zhonggu Logistics has booked up to six 6，000 teu vessels at Hengli Heavy Industry， lifting its newbuilding activity for the first time in several years.

The Shanghai-listed company said it has signed for four firm vessels， with options covering a further two units.

Confirmation of the deal came via an exchange filing from by Hengli’s parent， Songfa Ceramics. The total contract value was put at between RMB3.4bn and RMB4bn， including tax， equivalent to about $489m to $576m， with deliveries scheduled to run through 2028. Zhonggu Logistics， in a separate disclosure， said the total value of the order will not exceed RMB3.48bn excluding tax， or roughly $501m.

The ships will be operated under Zhonggu’s vessel-owning arm， Zhonggu Shipping， and are expected to strengthen the carrier’s position on China’s domestic and regional container trades.

Fleet data from Alphaliner shows Zhonggu Logistics currently operates 62 ships with a combined capacity of 53，664 teu. The company’s previous newbuilding spree dates back to 2021， when it ordered a series of 4，600 teu boxships at prices of around $35m per vessel.