Evergreen plans order for LNG-powered vessels

If finalized, this would be the first order for LNG dual-fuel vessels for Evergreen, which has mainly focused on ordering methanol-powered ships during the last few years, the sources said.

The sources said that the LNG dual-fuel vessels would have a capacity of 24,000 teu, making them one of the largest in the global LNG-fueled fleet.

Evergreen aims to book up to 11 such vessels, according to the sources.

Also, the order could be split between South Korea’s Hanwha Ocean and China’s Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI), they said.

No further details have been revealed.

The sources noted that this move follows a major shift by Maersk, who confirmed last year that it had ordered a fleet of LNG dual-fuel containerships with a capacity of 300,000 teu from yards in China and South Korea.

Maersk also finalized contracts with several tonnage providers to charter a range of LNG dual-fuel vessels.

This move represented a significant turn for the shipping company which has been one of the biggest supporters of methanol-powered ships.

Orders for LNG-powered vessels jumped 103 percent to 264 ships last year, driven by the container and car carrier newbuild boom over the last three years, according to classification society DNV.

In 2024, 69 percent of all containership orders were for ships capable of being powered by alternative fuels, driven by cargo owners responding to consumer demands for more sustainable practices and liner companies preparing to replace older tonnage, DNV said.