COSCO SINGAPORE is a Japanese-built 5,618-TEU containership delivered in 2001 and one of the increasingly rare early-2000s mainline container vessels still operating under her original name.
Built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries at Sakaide, Japan, the vessel was a very large containership by the standards of the period.
At 280 metres long, 65,531 GT and 69,196 tonnes deadweight, COSCO SINGAPORE has spent a quarter of a century associated with COSCO's international liner network.
Unlike many ships of similar age that have been renamed, sold or recycled, she remains active in 2026 as COSCO SINGAPORE, currently sailing under the United Kingdom flag.
Vessel Details
Name: COSCO SINGAPORE
IMO: 9221102
MMSI: 235068032
Call Sign: 2BOW4
Type: Container Ship
Flag: United Kingdom
Port of Registry: London
Built: 2001
Builder: Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Sakaide Works, Japan
Owner / Operator Interests: COSCO Shipping Lines
Class: Lloyd's Register
Gross Tonnage: 65,531 GT
Net Tonnage: 35,453 NT
Deadweight: 69,196 t
Length Overall: 280.00 m
Beam: 39.80 m
Maximum Draught: approx. 14.0 m
Container Capacity: 5,618 TEU
Original Builder Capacity: approx. 5,250 TEU
Original Main Engine: Kawasaki-MAN B&W low-speed diesel
Historical Power: approx. 58,600 hp
Historical Speed: approx. 25 knots
Current Status: Active
Built by Kawasaki
COSCO SINGAPORE was constructed at:
Kawasaki Heavy Industries – Sakaide Works
in Japan.
Kawasaki formally delivered the ship on:
11 December 2001.
The builder originally described her as a:
5,250-TEU containership,
although later commercial databases calculate a nominal capacity of:
5,618 TEU.
This difference reflects variations in container-capacity calculation rather than a major physical conversion.
Large for Her Generation
At the beginning of the 2000s, a containership carrying more than 5,000 TEU was considered a major mainline unit.
COSCO SINGAPORE measures:
280 metres long
and almost:
40 metres wide.
By comparison, today's largest containerships exceed 24,000 TEU and approach 400 metres in length.
The vessel therefore illustrates how dramatically container shipping has expanded in scale during her working life.
A Japanese-Built COSCO Ship
Another interesting aspect of COSCO SINGAPORE is her place of construction.
Although operated by one of China's largest shipping groups, she was built in:
Japan.
Kawasaki constructed several closely related COSCO ships during this period, including vessels such as:
COSCO HAMBURG
COSCO ANTWERP
and
COSCO ROTTERDAM.
High-Speed Container Era
COSCO SINGAPORE was designed during a period when large containerships were routinely expected to maintain considerably higher speeds than modern slow-steaming operations.
Historical specifications quote approximately:
25 knots.
Her main engine developed roughly:
58,600 horsepower.
Modern fuel prices, emissions requirements and operating economics mean ships of this generation generally sail much more slowly today.
No Name Change
One of the most notable features of her history is its simplicity.
Unlike many containerships that move between charterers and acquire multiple names, IMO 9221102 has retained:
COSCO SINGAPORE
throughout her commercial career.
The name has now been carried for approximately:
25 years.
Piraeus in 2019
COSCO SINGAPORE was documented by PiraeuShips in:
February 2019.
At that time the vessel was already approximately eighteen years old but remained an active COSCO mainline containership.
The original PiraeuShips record listed:
65,531 GT
69,196 DWT
280 m length
39 m beam
and:
Kawasaki Sakaide Works
as builder.
Piraeus and COSCO
The vessel's appearance in Piraeus was particularly appropriate given the rapidly growing relationship between COSCO and the port during the 2010s.
Piraeus had developed into one of the group's most important Mediterranean container hubs.
COSCO SINGAPORE therefore represented both an individual ship visit and the broader transformation of container traffic at Piraeus.
Still Active in 2026
COSCO SINGAPORE remains fully operational in:
2026.
Current liner schedules continue to show the vessel trading for COSCO and partner carriers.
During September 2026 she was operating on the:
Sino-Australia / A3S network,
with voyages connecting Chinese ports with Australian destinations.
Current commercial records continue to identify:
COSCO Shipping Lines
as her owner/operator interest.
25 Years in Service
By December 2026, COSCO SINGAPORE will have completed:
25 years of commercial service.
That longevity is increasingly notable for a mainline containership.
Many ships of her generation have already been recycled or relegated to secondary roles, while COSCO SINGAPORE continues regular liner employment.
PiraeuShips Record
COSCO SINGAPORE was recorded at Piraeus by PiraeuShips in 2019 during the continuing international career of one of COSCO's veteran mainline containerships. Built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries at Sakaide, Japan, and delivered in December 2001, the 280-metre vessel was considered a large containership when new, with a present-day nominal capacity of 5,618 TEU. Remarkably, she has retained the COSCO SINGAPORE name throughout approximately 25 years of service. Still fully active in 2026 and operating on international liner routes including the Sino-Australia trade, the vessel has outlived many contemporaries from the first generation of large post-Panamax containerships. The PiraeuShips footage documents her during the period in which Piraeus was becoming one of COSCO's most important Mediterranean hubs.
Original video footage © PiraeuShips. All rights reserved.
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