Greek container tonnage provider Costamare has locked in nearly $1bn in fresh contracted revenues after fixing 12 vessels on a forward basis for periods stretching up to eight years.

The Konstantinos Konstantakopoulos-led group said in its quarterly earnings report the new deals will generate about $940m in incremental revenue and push fleet employment to 96% for 2026 and 92% for 2027. As a result, the company’s total contracted revenue backlog now stands at roughly $3.4bn, with a teu-weighted remaining duration of 4.5 years as of mid-February 2026.

The fixtures cover a broad range of tonnage. Five 14,400 teu vessels have been fixed for minimum periods of eight years, while four 5,000 teu ships and two 9,400 teu vessels have secured charters of around three years. One 4,200 teu vessel has also been fixed for a minimum of three years. Across all 12 ships, the teu-weighted average duration is about six years.

Chief financial officer Gregory Zikos said the forward charters will commence over the next three years and significantly strengthen earnings visibility.

The latest round of deals means the containership fleet is now fully employed for 2026, giving the New York-listed owner strong forward cover.

Costamare is also pressing ahead with fleet renewal with a newbuilding programme of six 3,100 teu containerships at Zhoushan Changhong International Shipyard, with deliveries scheduled between 2027 and early 2028. The full series is backed by eight-year time charters to a leading liner operator. Earlier this year, brokerage and liner intelligence sources pegged Costamare to a dozen 9,200-teu newbuilds – a rumour the company has yet to confirm or deny.

The group currently counts 69 containerships with a total capacity of around 520,000 teu, excluding the newbuildings.