Hong Kong's Orient Overseas (International) Ltd (OOIL), parent of OOCL, announced it has ordered an additional four 13,100-TEU vessels from Korean shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries for US$544 million, adding OOCL's aggregate fleet of this size to 10 ships with an earlier US$816 million deal of six similar units confirmed in March.

The new 10 vessels, featuring 19 rows on deck, "will allow OOCL to run a full Far East-Europe 13,100-TEU loop", said Paris-based maritime analyst Alphaliner.

To be delivered in 2013 and 2014, this order represents 47.2 per cent of OOCL's existing fleet and increases its orderbook to a total of 17 containerships with 193,000 TEU, according to Alphaliner figures.