---

Maersk Line has signed a newbuild contract with Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI). The order is for nine vessels with a capacity of 14,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) each.

The agreement includes an option for up to eight additional vessels. The ships are to each have a length of 353 metres.

The contract has a value of $1.1 billion. It was signed by Mr. Sam H. Ka, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of HHI and Mr. Søren Toft, COO of Maersk Line, at a ceremony at Maersk Line's headquarters in Copenhagen.

It is the third newbuild order in Maersk Line's investment programme announced in September 2014. The order follows the seven 3,600-TEU feeder vessels and eleven 19,630-TEU Triple-E vessels announced earlier this year as part of the company's $15 billion investment in newbuilds, retrofitting, containers and other equipment.

Commenting on the news, Søren Toft, said: "I am very pleased about this order for which we have taken a new approach. The vessels will be designed to operate in and perform efficiently across many trades and not just designed for one specific trade. They will help us stay competitive and make our fleet more flexible and efficient."

The company added: "Designing vessels with a flexible operational profile is a first for Maersk Line. By moving away from hulls designed with a certain speed and draft in mind, Maersk Line is strengthening its fleet with vessels which can be deployed on East-West or North-South trades where requirements differ, with no impact on fuel consumption."

The nine vessels will join Maersk Line's fleet in 2017 and sail under Singaporean flag.

Since 2002, HHI has delivered more than 50 container vessels to Maersk Line, including 22 WAFMAX vessels (4,500 TEU), which were delivered in 2011-13.

"We have a long and good relationship with HHI. The quality of the vessels has always been up to high standards and we look forward to receiving this new batch," Toft remarked.

Maersk Line is the world's largest container shipping company and bunker buyer. It markets its services through the Maersk Line, Safmarine and SeaLand (Intra-Americas) brands and is the holding company for MCC Transport (Intra-Asia), Seago Line (Intra-Europe) and Mercosul (Brazil).

Maersk Line's fleet as of May 2015 was 273 owned vessels (1.7 million TEU) and 335 chartered vessels (1.2 million TEU)

The order book, as of 8 July 2015, corresponds to 0.5 million TEU or approximately 16 percent of Maersk Line's current fleet, excluding options.

- 7 x Baltic Feeder vessels for delivery in 2017.
- 11 x 19K vessels for delivery in 2017-18.
- 11 x 9.5-10K chartered vessels 2015-16.
- 9 x 14K vessels for delivery in 2017.