Shipping companies have already ordered new container ships this year with a combined capacity of 2 million TEU, according to estimates from the Shipping Watch portal.
Moreover, according to consultancy Clarksons, the world’s largest shipowner, MSC, recently ordered six container ships, each with a capacity of 19,000 TEU, from the Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipyard, and eight ships with a transport capacity of 11,500 TEU each from Jinglu Shipyard. This brings the total order to over 200,000 TEU. All 14 ships will be equipped with dual-fuel engines powered by LNG and potentially methanol.
The contract with the Jinglu Shipyard also includes an option to order an additional four ships, according to Clarksons.
The cost of each 19,000 TEU vessel is approximately USD 210 million, with deliveries scheduled between 2027 and 2028. The smaller vessels ordered from the Jinglu Shipyard are priced at around USD 140 million each.
As of August 22 this year, MSC’s fleet has a total capacity of 6.041 million TEU, representing 19.9% of global capacity. The company’s order book includes 133 container ships with a combined capacity of 1.8 million TEU.
It’s worth noting that MSC exceeded the 5 million TEU capacity milestone just last year, and in 2022, its capacity was at 4 million TEU.
However, it’s not just the industry giants placing new orders. Asian operators have also been active. Taiwan’s Wan Hai Lines has ordered 16 ships with a capacity of 8,000 to 8,700 TEU each, also featuring dual-fuel engines. This order accounts for approximately one-quarter of the company’s current cargo capacity of 514,000 TEU.
Meanwhile, Pacific International Lines (PIL) placed an order this month for five LNG-powered ships with a capacity of 13,000 TEU each.
The vast majority of these ships will be constructed in Asian shipyards. According to Shipping Watch, the Chinese shipyard Yangzijiang Shipbuilding currently has an order book worth USD 20.2 billion. Of the 224 vessels under construction, 89 are container ships.