Monaco-based Transocean Maritime Agencies has placed an order for new container ships in China, marking its first move into the container shipping market — a major shift for a company best known for carrying bulk cargo and oil.
Industry reports reveal that Transocean has ordered two medium-sized container vessels from Guangzhou Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding, one of China’s leading shipyards. The ships, named Ajax C and Apollo C, will each carry around 1,930 containers and are expected to be delivered in 2028.
Until now, Transocean’s business has focused mainly on bulk carriers and tankers — ships that transport raw materials such as grain, coal, and crude oil. The company, led by CEO Ruth McLoughlin, was founded in the 1960s by the late Guenther Neunhoeffer and currently operates around 15 ships, most of them modern and under ten years old.
This expansion comes as more traditional bulk and tanker operators move into the container shipping market, particularly smaller vessels known as “feeders,” which carry goods between regional ports. Companies such as Latsis, Oceanbulk, and Minerva Marine have all made similar investments recently, attracted by steady demand and strong rental rates for these types of ships.
Sources in the shipping industry have also suggested that Transocean may have ordered two larger container ships — each able to carry around 3,100 containers — from another Chinese yard, New Dayang Shipbuilding. Those vessels would also be delivered in 2028 and are believed to cost roughly $45 million each, although this has not been officially confirmed.
Transocean has yet to make a public statement on its plans for the new ships or any potential contracts for their operation, but the move signals a clear broadening of its business interests — and a growing confidence in the container sector’s long-term stability.
