Switzerland-based shipping giant MSC has ordered in total 20 LNG-powered containerships at China’s New Times Shipbuilding and South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries, according to brokers and shipbuilding sources.
New Times would build 14 7,900-teu LNG-dual fuel containerships for MSC and start delivering them to MSC in 2025.
The price tag has not been disclosed but these vessels could be worth more than $120 million per unit.
One shipbuilding source said that they would feature WinGD’s dual-fuel engines.
As per South Korea, Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering said last week that its unit HHI had won an order for six 7,900-teu LNG-dual fuel containerships.
Brokers and shipbuilding sources also said that MSC was behind this order.
HHI will build these ships for about $134 million per vessel and deliver them to the owner in the first half of 2025.
Also, the containerships will have 272 meters in length, 42.8 meters in width, and 24.8 meters in height.
These vessels would have MAN ME-GI engines and GTT’s Mark III Flex containment system, one source said.
The source also said that MSC was looking for eight more of these dual-fuel LNG containerships and that K Shipbuilding and Samsung Heavy could build these additional vessels.
MSC, which operates a fleet of more than 600 vessels, recently welcomed its first LNG-powered containership.
China’s Yangzijiang Shipbuilding in Jiangsu built the 14,280-teu MSC Washington for the giant shipping firm.
MSC is working on a large fleet of LNG-powered vessels in order to slash emissions and comply with more stringent IMO rules, but the firm rarely officially confirms its charters or newbuild orders.