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Sources told LNG Prime that Yang Ming has approached yards in South Korea with requests for LNG dual-fuel vessels with a capacity of 15,000 teu.
The sources did not provide further details.
In May 2023, Yang Ming signed a shipbuilding deal with South Korea’s HD Hyundai Heavy Industries 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.
Each of the vessels will have one single LNG fuel tank with a capacity of 12,700 cbm, while the tanks will feature GTT’s Mark III Flex membrane containment technology.
These vessels will join Yang Ming’s fleet in 2026.
Up to 13 vessels as part of new plan
As of the end of March 2025, Yang Ming’s fleet included 99 vessels with a capacity of 723,000 teu, according to its website.
Yang Ming announced on March 28 the purchase of three 8,000 teu methanol dual-fuel-ready containerships from Shoei Kisen Kaisha as part of its fleet optimization plan.
Imabari Shipbuilding will deliver these vessels between 2028 and 2029.
The acquisition of the three vessels marks the first phase of Yang Ming’s fleet optimization plan, which includes adding up to thirteen 8,000-teu to 15,000-teu class container vessels, according to the firm.
This means that Yang Ming plans to add up to 10 more vessels under the plan.
LNG-powered containership fleet
DNV’s most recent data shows that there are currently 166 LNG-powered containerships in operation.
Moreover, shipping firms ordered 338 LNG-powered containership.
Most recently, Taiwan’s shipping firm Evergreen Marine and South Korean shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean signed a shipbuilding deal worth about $1.6 billion for six ultra-large LNG dual-fuel containerships.
Evergreen announced the order in February, saying that its unit had ordered 11 LNG dual-fuel containerships with a capacity of 24,000 TEU from Hanwha Ocean and China’s GSI.