During the epidemic, big-box retailers and freight companies chartered ships to manage supply chain difficulties, while one U.S. furniture company sued carriers over a lack of capacity, but a Chinese manufacturer is taking furniture delivery to a new level. Loctek, well known for its standing desks and other ergonomic solutions for home and workplace, is going to build its own containership, with manufacturing in Shenzen, China, and offices in California.
According to Tradewinds, the company’s board of directors “deliberated and authorized” the investment in the construction of a containership in a filing to the Shenzen stock exchange. They stated that the corporation planned to charter or build a containership “following research and the board’s decision.”
“In order to further enhance the company’s competitiveness and accelerate the company’s overseas business development, the company plans to sign a 1,800 TEU containership construction contract with a domestic first-class shipyard,” Loctek reports in its stock exchange filing.
Huanghai Shipbuilding Co., based in Shandong Province, China, has been awarded the construction contract. The ship will cost $32.8 million and will be delivered by March 31, 2023, according to the furniture manufacturer.
The filing did not include any other information about the vessel, but Huanghai Shipbuilding did obtain a contract from Briese Schiffahrts in June 2021 to build four 1,800 TEU containerships. Those vessels, which have the same capacity, are said to be 564 feet long and weigh 24,000 tons deadweight.
According to the company, its worldwide business is in the process of transitioning from OEM to an overseas brand. “The trend of online consumption of consumer goods through e-commerce continues to strengthen, and the company’s online business has grown steadily and rapidly. In order to further improve the user experience of fast arrival of e-commerce shopping and shorten the delivery cycle,” They didn’t say if they’ll run the ship themselves or hire a major shipping firm to convey their goods, or which ports they’ll visit.
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Source: maritime-executive.com/tradewindsnews.com
