A newly launched online auction site is piloting the sale of its first containership.

German bank Nord/LB is poised to auction off the 2,702-teu Buxharmony (built 2007) through this platform.

A successful deal could result in the site being used as a funnel for German banks and private equity looking to offload tonnage in a more transparent fashion.

VesselBid.com went live on 11 May after a year of planning by its owners — German auctioneer NetBid Industrie-Auktionen and Hamburg shipbroker Toepfer Transport.