Evergreen orders 6 methanol dual-fuel boxships

Taiwanese container shipping company Evergreen Marine has ordered six 2,400 TEU methanol dual-fuel containerships in China, continuing its efforts to decarbonize operations.

The Sub-Panamax vessels will be built by CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding Company Limited, part of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), the company revealed in a stock exchange filing on June 7, 2024.

Evergreen will pay $52-58 million per vessel, with the total transaction price amounting to $312-348 million.

The order for the ship sextet was placed on behalf of Italia Marittima S.p.A. (ITS), a subsidiary of Evergreen Marine.

No further details have been shared.

In separate releases, the company unveiled the acquisition of a total of 50,000 new containers from Dong Fang International Container (Hong Kong), China International Marine Containers (Group) and Singamas Management Services for about $162 million.

Last year, the Taiwanese shipping player ordered 24 methanol dual-fuel 16,000 TEU boxships. The construction deal was divided between industry major Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI), and Nihon Shipyard, a joint venture between Japan Marine United Corporation (JMU) and Imabari Shipbuilding.

In early 2024, Evergreen Marine and Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG) signed a memorandum of cooperation on green methanol fuel supply for ships in the port. Under the deal, SIPG will be responsible for green methanol procurement, supply and bunkering services for the dual-fuel methanol ships that will be delivered to Evergreen in 2026 and 2027.

The shipping company also signed a memorandum of understanding with Singapore’s X-Press Feeders to place its containers on X-Press Feeders’ new dual-fuel green methanol vessels, expressing its commitment to a sustainable green future.

X-Press Feeders is planning to run these vessels on green methanol and operate them within Europe.

Apart from methanol, Evergreen is exploring other green fuels, too. Last year, the company teamed up with Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), the world’s largest fund manager within greenfield renewable energy, for collaboration on hydrogen-based marine fuels. The duo intends to jointly explore the production and usage of carbon neutral e-fuels.