Classification society DNV says orders for LNG-powered ships hit a new record high in September following 31 orders in April.
Owners placed in total 35 orders for LNG-powered ships last month, four more compared to April when they logged a record as well, according to DNV’s Alternative Fuels Insight platform.
Compared to the previous month, orders rose by 23 vessels.
Martin Wold, principal consultant at DNV, said it was not only the LNG price setting records these days, but also orders for LNG-powered vessels.
He said nearly 200 LNG-powered ships have been ordered this year, “far majority of them in the deep sea segment.”
The September count includes orders by CMA CGM, Seaspan and Zim, K Line, Eastern Pacific Shipping, TEN and Equinor, Hartmann, Louis Dreyfus, and SeaRoad.
Looking at the global fleet, the DNV platform shows that 221 LNG-powered ships are already in operation with 389 on order.
LNG-powered car and passenger ferries lead the way with 44 in operation, followed by 26 offshore supply ships, and 25 oil/chemical tankers.
As per vessels on order, LNG-powered containerships and crude oil tankers account for most of the orders with 85 and 59 units, respectively.
These statistics do not include smaller inland vessels.