Taiwanese liner Evergreen is piling on fresh tonnage with orders for 23 new container ships worth up to $1.47bn, continuing its multi-year fleet expansion drive.

The latest newbuilding programme covers a mix of feeder and mid-size vessels and will be split between Chinese yards CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding and Jiangsu New Yangzi Shipbuilding, part of the Yangzijiang group.

Through its subsidiary Evergreen Marine Asia, the carrier is ordering 16 feeder ships of about 3,100 teu at CSSC Huangpu Wenchong and seven 5,900 teu post-panamax vessels at Yangzijiang Shipbuilding.

According to stock exchange disclosures, the 5,900 teu units are priced between $67m and $82m per ship, putting the seven-vessel deal at $469m to $574m. The 16-ship feeder order carries price tags of $46m to $56m per vessel, for a total value of between $736m and $896m.

Combined, the two contracts take the total value of the programme to as much as $1.47bn, although delivery dates have not been disclosed.

The order follows Evergreen’s decision last October to split its next major fleet expansion between China and South Korea. At the time, Taiwan’s largest liner booked 14 LNG dual-fuel 14,000 teu ships, evenly divided between Guangzhou Shipyard International and Samsung Heavy Industries, in a deal worth about $2.8bn. Those vessels are due for delivery between 2028 and 2030.

Earlier in 2025, Evergreen also confirmed orders for 11 ultra-large 24,000 teu containerships, placing contracts at Hanwha Ocean and CSSC Guangzhou Shipyard International. That programme is valued at between $2.91bn and $3.25bn.

Evergreen currently ranks as the world’s seventh-largest container carrier. Before the latest deal, the company operated a fleet of around 240 boxships, with more than 50 newbuildings already on order for delivery over the coming years.