MSC partners and has placed order for six container ships with Hengli Heavy Industry
GENEVA : MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, led by Soren Toft, has partnered with Hengli Heavy Industry for a new series of LNG dual-fuel megamax containerships. The Swiss-based liner giant has recently signed up for six 22,000 TEU newbuilds at the yard previously known as STX Dalian.
Previously, on April 17th Eastern Time, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) issued a bill aimed at restricting China’s influence in the fields of shipping, logistics, and shipbuilding, targeting related industries such as Chinese shipbuilding. This measure has triggered market turbulence, coupled with the already sluggish new shipbuilding market, posing challenges to many Chinese shipyards.
Overall, since 2025, the global ship order volume has been in a significant downward trend. The order signed by Hengli Heavy Industry this time is particularly eye-catching.
It is understood that this type of LNG dual fuel container ship belongs to the green, advanced and environmentally friendly ship type, which is in line with the global trend of green development in the shipping industry. This not only demonstrates the strong technical strength and construction capability of Hengli Heavy Industry, which can meet the strict requirements of European shipowners for high-end and environmentally friendly ships, but also reflects the high trust of European shipowners in Hengli Heavy Industry. In times of market instability, they still firmly choose to cooperate with Hengli Heavy Industry.
Since entering the shipbuilding industry in the summer of 2022, Hengli Heavy Industry has developed rapidly. It is backed by Hengli Group, with strong funds and resource integration capabilities, and can provide sufficient guarantees for cooperative projects. Especially in early 2025, Hengli Group invested nearly 10 billion yuan in the construction of new shipyards and dormitories, laying the foundation for Hengli Heavy Industry to undertake more orders.
In the new shipbuilding business of container ships, MSC has previously placed multiple orders for container ships with Hengli Heavy Industry, including 10 21000TEU and 10 24000TEU LNG dual fuel super large container ships, with transaction amounts reaching tens of billions of yuan. These orders not only bring considerable income to Hengli Heavy Industry, but also enhance its market position and technological level in the field of container ship construction, promoting Hengli Heavy Industry’s continuous innovation in green and environmentally friendly ship construction technology.
The signing of this super large container ship order is of great significance to Hengli Heavy Industry. This order not only brings considerable economic benefits, but also helps the shipyard move towards new heights in technology research and development, production capacity improvement, and other aspects.
Against the backdrop of rising global trade protectionism, European shipping companies continue to place orders in China, boosting morale in the Chinese shipbuilding industry and demonstrating its resilience and competitiveness in complex challenges. This is expected to promote deeper cooperation between the two sides in the shipping industry and help the Chinese shipbuilding industry continue to expand its international market.