Classification society DNV has reported another strong month in orders for LNG-powered ships as owners look to slash emissions and costs.
Owners placed in total 21 orders for LNG-powered ships last month, according to DNV’s Alternative Fuels Insight platform. Compared to the record month of June, orders dropped by 12 vessels.
The year-to-date order count now reached 149 LNG-powered ships.
Speaking on the July orders, Martin Wold, principal consultant at DNV, said, “this is also the monthly average YTD so at this (continued) pace we would reach a staggering 250 new orders for LNG-fueled ships in 2021.”
In addition, he said that June was also a “milestone month” for methanol as fuel with four ships added, including the first non-methanol tanker newbuild.
The July orders include ten Seaspan’s 7,000 TEU LNG-powered container vessels which will go on charter to Zim but also orders by Stena RoRo, and Wallenius.
Moreover, the DNV platform shows that 213 LNG-powered ships are already in operation with 350 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 72 and 57 units, respectively.
These statistics do not include smaller inland vessels such as GNG Ocean’s 50 LNG-powered bulkers that will work on the Pearl River in China’s Guangdong province.