Report: Zodiac orders four more newbuilds

The London-based containership owner and operator has extended an order for five 11,000-TEU vessels from Hyundai Heavy Industries with an additional four 14,000-TEU ships.    Containership owner and operator Zodiac Maritime has confirmed an order for four additional newbuild vessels from Hyundai Heavy Industries, according to multiple media reports.
   The order for four 14,000-TEU containerships is an extension of a previous contract with HHI for five 11,000-TEU ships scheduled for delivery starting in 2019. The larger vessels will reportedly be delivered starting in July 2020.
   Headquartered in London and managed by Monaco-based investment fund Eyal Ofer, Zodiac currently sports a fleet of 41 containerships with an aggregate capacity of 337,819 TEUs, according to company figures.
   The newbuild contracts couldn’t come at a better time for HHI, which has been struggling amid a dearth in new vessel orders.
   HHI recently reported its second straight quarterly loss, posting a net loss of 132.1 billion South Korean won (U.S. $122.4 million) for the first quarter of 2018 after a dismal 572.3 billion won loss during the previous period.