The Chinese shipyard Zhoushan Changhong International has inked construction contract for twelve 19,000 teu LNG dual-fuel box ships with MSC, according to Seatrade Maritime.
The latest order by Geneva-headquartered MSC at the yard follows two previous batched of newbuilding orders at the Chinese yard. The shipowner has previously ordered ten 11,500 teu and ten 10,300 teu LNG dual-fuel large container ships at Zhoushan Changhong.
On 8 August, Zhoushan Changhong has completed the keel laying for the 3rd and 4th 11,500 teu LNG dual-fuel container ships being built for MSC.
The vessels’ LNG-fuelled and ammonia-ready propulsion systems are designed for the ships to serve routes in central Europe or between China and America.
The new orders add to a sizeable orderbook for the world’s largest container line. MSC has 1.2 million teu of capacity on order equivalent to 20% of existing fleet according to analyst Alphaliner. The line currently commands a 19.8% share of all container ship capacity operated globally.