Taiwan's Evergreen Group, the parent company of Evergreen Line, signed an order with Japanese shipbuilder Imabari Shipbuilding for ten 2,800teu class B-type vessels on Sept. 10.

The first ship is planned to be delivered during the first half of 2018 with the completion of the series due by the first half of 2019. All twenty newbuildings are planned to be deployed in the intra-Asia trade.

Evergreen's B-type vessels will be 211 meters in length and 32.8 meters in width, with a design draft of 10 meters.

The ships are designed to load 13 rows of containers on deck, which is within the span of existing gantry cranes in the major ports on the intra-Asian trade.

The hull design of the vessels is wider in comparison to ships of a similar capacity. Such design enables the ships to navigate in the shallower ports encountered in the intra-Asia trade and to enhance their cargo carrying capability. The ships can cruise at a speed up to 21.8 knots.

The B-type vessels will be equipped with an electronic-controlled fuel injection engine, which meets the IMO Tier II standards for NOx emission and the requirements of Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI), and can reduce emissions by around 20% in comparison with vessels of traditional designs, according to Evergreen.

The latest agreement for B-type vessels is the third project in which Imabari will participate in Evergreen Line's fleet renewal program.