South Korea’s HD Hyundai Heavy Industries held a naming ceremony on Wednesday for Yang Ming Marine Transport’s two LNG dual-fuel container vessels.
Yang Ming said the ships, YM Willpower and YM Worthiness, are the first two vessels in its 15,500 teu class LNG dual-fuel series.
Given that these ships will serve the Asia-Mediterranean route, high-level executives from Yang Ming’s joint venture partners also joined the celebration, including representatives from Sebang Group, Arkas Holding, FINSEA, and Catalana Del Mar, it said.
In May 2023, Yang Ming signed a shipbuilding deal with HD Hyundai Heavy for the construction of five LNG-powered containerships with a capacity of 15,500 teu.
Yang Ming will pay about $937 million for the five vessels, or $187 million per ship.
According to Yang Ming, YM Willpower is scheduled to phase into the MD2 service on February 8th.
The comprehensive port rotation includes Pusan, Shanghai, Ningbo, Kaohsiung, Shekou, Singapore, Tangier, Valencia, Barcelona, Genoa, La Spezia, Fos Sur Mer, Singapore, and Pusan.
Additionally, its sister vessel, YM Worthiness, is expected to be delivered in the second quarter of 2026.
Last year, South Korea’s Hanwha Ocean also secured an order worth about $1.39 billion for Yang Ming’s LNG dual-fuel container vessels.
The order includes seven 15,880-teu LNG dual-fuel container ships.