Chinese shipyards unleash a series of 24,000 TEU giants intended for MSC, Evergreen

Chinese shipbuilders are pressing ahead with the construction of the world’s largest containerships set to enter the market.

Yangzi Xinfu Shipbuilding, a subsidiary of Yangzijiang Shipbuilding Group, has launched two ultra-large containerships featuring 24,000 TEU in container capacity.

The ships are being built for the Chinese Bank of Communications Financial Leasing and will be chartered out to MSC.

The DNV-classed vessels span a total length of 399.99 meters, a molded width of 61.3 meters, a deck area of ​​24,000 square meters, equivalent to 3.5 standard football fields, a molded depth of 33.5 meters, and can reach a speed of 22.5 knots.

The maximum loading capacity of the ships is 24,346 TEUs, and they have the ability to load up to 25 rows of containers equivalent to the height of 22 floors. They are the latest units joining the global fleet that have also broken the 24,000 TEU carrying capacity limit.

 The ships are fitted with bulbous bows, large-diameter propellers, and energy-saving ducts to improve their efficiency and lower energy consumption.

At the same time, they use air lubrication systems which reduce the total energy consumption and the corresponding total carbon emissions by 3% to 4%.

MSC has four 24,000 TEU ships on order. The first two from the series were launched earlier this year.

Meanwhile, Jiangnan Shipbuilding has delivered a 24,000 TEU Ever Atop to Taiwanese shipping firm Evergreen. The ship was independently designed by China Shipbuilding Hudong Zhonghua and was classed by Lloyd’s Register (LR). The total length of the ship is 399.99 meters, the width is 61.5 meters, and the depth is 33.2 meters.

The delivery comes on the back of several construction delays caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and resulting lockdowns.

The ultra-large boxship Ever Atop follows the delivery of Ever Aria and Ever Alot. The trio is part of a batch of nine vessels fitted with a myriad of green features including high efficiency, energy-saving, and safety solutions in line with Tier III emission requirements.

As disclosed, the ships have a bulbous bow design, large-diameter propellers, and energy-saving ducts to ensure low energy consumption. They are also fitted with hybrid scrubbers.