Greek firm Alberta Shipmanagement and Germany's Peter Dohle have placed new orders for feeder container vessels at Chinese shipyards, joining a global wave of investment in small-to-medium boxships, reported London's Riviera Maritime Media.

Alberta Shipmanagement, traditionally focused on bulkers and tankers, has ordered two 1,930-TEU vessels from CSSC Guangzhou Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding for delivery in 2028. The move marks its entry into the container sector.

The Inglessis family-led company follows other Greek owners expanding into feeder vessels this year, including Danaos Corp, Capital Group, Minerva Dry, Chartworld, Latsco Shipping and Euroseas.

Alberta, founded in 2019 and tracing its roots to 1875, currently manages 25 ships, including two VLCCs under construction.

In a separate deal, Peter Dohle has ordered four 2,900-TEU ships from the same Chinese yard, with deliveries expected between late 2027 and 2028. Shipbrokers suggest the order may be part of a fleet renewal strategy.

Dohle was earlier linked to a separate order for five 8,400-TEU vessels at Guangzhou Shipyard International and has recently expanded its bulk carrier fleet with two Kamsarmax acquisitions.

According to Xclusiv Shipbrokers, the feeder segment's orderbook-to-fleet ratio rose to 7.1 per cent in September, up from 3.7 per cent at the end of 2024. The Handy segment climbed to 12.4 per cent, while the overall container ship ratio reached 31.4 per cent.