South Korean container line HMM has approved a US$1.6 billion investment in 12 containerships, comprising eight 13,000TEU newbuildings and four smaller vessels, adding a combined 114,100 TEUs of capacity to its fleet. The board cleared the investment on 15 Oct 2026. Alongside the eight newbuilding orders, HMM will acquire three 2,800TEU vessels and one 1,700TEU vessel as resale newbuildings—ships originally ordered by another owner and transferred before delivery. HMM said in a regulatory disclosure that the total vessel price is US$1,617,156,000, equivalent to 8.16 per cent of the company's consolidated equity at the end of the most recent financial year, though the figure may change depending on final vessel specifications. The investment period runs until 31 Dec 2029, reflecting expected final deliveries that month, though HMM noted this timeline could shift depending on the delivery schedule. HMM operated 97 containerships with a combined capacity of approximately 1.02 million TEUs in the first half of 2026. A revised strategy approved by its board on 24 Jul 2026 targets 166 containerships and 1.47 million TEUs by the end of 2030, part of a KRW29 trillion (US$22 billion) investment programme. The plan is built around a hub-and-spoke network, with large vessels on ocean-going routes supported by smaller and medium-sized ships connecting origins and destinations through hubs, replacing a 2024 strategy that had targeted 130 containerships with 1.55 million TEUs by 2030.
