Shipyards are vying for US$4.5 billion worth of mega box ship contracts in the offing with Chinese and Korean yards best positioned to win the orders, reports Tradewinds.

Companies include Maersk Line, Orient Overseas Container Lines (OOCL) and Taiwan's Evergreen have sent out enquiries for over 30 ships that will have capacities of between 19,600 and 20,200 TEU, said the report.

Evergreen is said to be in the market for 11 megaships, while OOCL and Maersk are looking for four to six.

According to sources within the industry, the potential orders are good news for shipyards worried about the coming year, with the talk of overcapacity in the market.

The prices paid today, $150 million is much less than the $185 million Maersk paid three years ago for its 18,000-TEU ships. Last year, Maersk CEO Soren Skou said that the company had misjudged the market when it had spent $3.7 billion on twenty 18,000-TEUers.