COPENHAGEN: Danish liner giant Maersk has confirmed a massive newbuilding order for large LNG-fuelled container ships, following intensive market speculation. A Maersk spokesperson said the company has ordered 26 LNG dual-fuel vessels of 18,600 TEU, with deliveries scheduled for 2029 and 2030.
While Maersk did not provide further details on the shipyard or shipyards undertaking the project, shipbroking and market sources pointed to China’s Hengli Heavy Industries as being responsible for the majority of the vessels.
Riviera reported this week that Maersk was in the final stages of concluding a major order with the Chinese shipbuilder for up to 20 vessels in the 18,000-TEU range, along with up to 12 24,000-TEU ships.
Shipbrokers noted that Maersk has not previously cooperated with Hengli.
According to Alphaliner, Maersk operates a fleet of 753 vessels totalling around 4.75M TEU, with a further 93 ships, representing 1.2M TEU, currently under construction.
The company has a market share of almost 14%.
The world’s three largest liner operators have shown an aggressive appetite for large newbuilding orders in recent months, with much of the activity focused on bigger container ships.
MSC has also recently contracted Hengli for a series of 22,000-TEU vessels, while CMA CGM has been linked to advanced discussions with Yangzijiang Shipbuilding for 12 24,000-TEU vessels.
MB Shipbrokers noted in its latest weekly report that container ship newbuilding demand has remained firm across virtually all size segments, with available slots increasingly moving towards 2030. Competition for “early positions” is expected to remain high in the coming weeks.
