China Shipping’s fleet still growing

China Shipping’s fleet still growing    China Shipping Container Lines said its fleet of containerships has reached a capacity of 247,370 TEUs as of Nov. 1, a 25 percent increase over its fleet at the end of 2003. The Chinese carrier’s fleet comprises 120 owned or chartered containerships.
   Ranked as the world’s 11th-largest container shipping line by ship capacity in a recent American Shipper survey, China Shipping has taken delivery of the first two in a series of five 8,500-TEU containerships in recent months, among other new vessels.
   The Shanghai-based carrier said before its June initial public offering in Hong Kong that it plans to expand its fleet to 144 vessels with a capacity of about 434,000 TEUs by the end of 2007.
   China Shipping has ordered eight vessels of 9,200-TEU capacities for delivery in 2006 and 2007.