Eastern Pacific pens deal for world’s largest ammonia carrier pair, orders up to 10 more ships from different yards

China’s shipbuilding major Jiangnan Shipbuilding has signed a contract with Singaporean shipping company Eastern Pacific Shipping for the construction of two 93,000 cbm liquid ammonia carriers.

The design of the very large ammonia carriers (VLAC) has been derived from the shipbuilder’s fourth generation Panda 93 A-class of very large gas carriers (VLGC) independently developed by Jiangnan.

With a substantial carrying capacity of 93,000 cubic meters, this vessel claims the title of the world’s largest ammonia carrier. The vessel stands out as the preferred ship type for long-distance transportation of green ammonia and can also be fully loaded with liquefied petroleum gases such as propane and butane.

The ship measures 230 meters in overall length, 36.6 meters in molded breadth, 22.5 meters in molded depth, and has a structural draft of 13.0 meters. It holds a classification from the Lloyd’s Register of Shipping.

The latest order brings Eastern Pacific Shipping’s orderbook to a total of six VLACs of the same size. Namely, the Singaporean shipowner ordered the construction of four Very Large Ammonia Carriers (VLAC) with a capacity of 93,000 cubic meters from Jiangnan Shipbuilding in May 2023.

Therefore, this is the second batch of shipbuilding orders placed by EPS with Jiangnan Shipbuilding, and the second in-depth cooperation between the two companies.

The signing ceremony for the contract was held in Singapore on the sidelines of the Gastech exhibition and conference.

The event has also served as a perfect occasion for the shipyard to showcase its latest designs of liquefied gas carriers and LNG dual-fuel container vessels.

In addition, Jiangnan Shipbuilding hosted an Approval in Principle (AIP) award ceremony at its booth during the event for the self-developed second-generation B -type tank “BrilliancE II”. The AiP was awarded to the company by John McDonald, President of Global Operations at ABS.

Singapore’s Eastern Pacific Shipping has reportedly ordered seven more ships, including three 210,000 dwt bulk carriers from Qingdao Beihai, and four very large gas carriers from Hyundai Heavy Industries in South Korea.

The bulkers, costing $80 million each, will be delivered in 2026 and 2027 and will be dual-fuelled with ammonia, according to Intermodal Shipbrokers.

The contract was signed on September 5, as confirmed by China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), and it involves the construction of three firm and three optional 210,000 dwt ammonia dual-fuel/ dual-fuel ready bulk carriers.

These vessels were designed independently by CSDC, a subsidiary design company of Beihai Shipbuilding. The vessels will be compliant with the stringent requirements of the Phase III of the ship energy efficiency design index (EEDI). Furthermore, they have been designed to meet the specific demands of ammonia as a marine fuel. Once the necessary technology becomes available, they will be equipped with ammonia-fuelled main engines and two 3,000-cubic-meter ammonia fuel C-type tanks, paving the way for a sustainable “zero carbon” operational lifecycle.

The first ammonia-fuelled two-stroke engines currently under development by Germany engine powerhouse MAN Energy Solutions are expected to be available in 2024.

Finally, the four 88,000 cbm very large gas carriers are expected for delivery in 2027, and each ship has a price tag of $110 million, according to Intermodal.