Singapore’s Eastern Pacific Shipping has ordered eight LNG-dual fuel containerships from China’s New Times Shipbuilding.
The order incudes eight firm vessels with a capacity of 18,000 teu and four optional vessels.
A spokeswoman for EPS confirmed the order to LNG Prime on Thursday.
The spokeswoman did not provide more details regarding the shipbuilding deal such as the delivery dates of the vessels or the price tag of the contract.
EPS already has LNG-powered containerships in its fleet, including vessels chartered to France’s CMA CGM, while NTS built a series of LNG-powered bulk carriers and tankers for EPS.
In May, NTS launched the 210,000-dwt LNG dual-fuel bulk carrier, Mount Ossa. This is the eleventh and final LNG dual-fuel bulk carrier EPS ordered at NTS.
NTS also previously delivered two LNG-powered LR2 tankers to Idan Ofer’s EPS.
EPS is heavily investing in dual-fuel vessels.
The company recently ordered more LNG-powered PCTCs in China, and it also ordered two LNG-powered LR2 vessels from China’s Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI).
In May, EPS completed its 200th ship-to-ship LNG bunkering operation, as the company’s fleet of LNG-fueled vessels continues to expand.
According to the EPS suitability report released in April this year, EPS had 57 dual-fuel vessels on water as of March 2024, while 51 dual-fuel vessels are to be delivered between 2023 and 2028.
These are mostly LNG dual-fuel vessels, while other vessels include ammonia dual-fuel and LPG dual-fuel ships, the report shows.