CSAV to sell, charter back two boxships

   CSAV, the Chilean container shipping company, said that its board on Tuesday approved plans to sell, then lease back, two 6,500-TEU containerships.
   It said “the transaction is in line with the company’s strategy of having larger and more efficient ships.”
   The two ships, built in 2006 by Hyundai Heavy Industries (South Korea), will be sold to subsidiaries of the U.S. firm Diana Containerships Inc. and then chartered by CSAV for between 18 months and 30 months.
   CSAV said the decision will have no material impact on the results of CSAV and fits within the company’s ongoing fleet modernization plan, which points to having larger and more efficient ships.
   Part of the same plan is the acquisition of seven new 9,300-TEU ships, which will start to be delivered toward the end of 2014 and will enable CSAV to align its percentage of own fleet with that of the industry. – Chris Dupin