The ships were built on behalf of the Ministry of War Transport (MOWT). The design of the type was largely similar to the plans for the Empire F type and was adapted for use in the Far East. They were designed as pure coastal freighters with a length of around 45 meters and a load capacity of around 400 tons. The ships had a forecastle , a pulled-down main deck, and a deckhouse positioned very aft above the raised poop and engine room . The hull with transom consisted almost exclusively of straight-cut steel plates to simplify the construction. The ships were built in sections , with the individual sections largely not being manufactured in the shipyards, but being supplied from various farms. The drive system each served a diesel engine . The units were delivered in 1945/46 and were given two-part names beginning with the term Empire , the second term of which was introduced with the prefix Sea . The construction series of a total of 23 units was carried out by the following two shipyards.
