MSC returns to Chinese shipyard with new order for 12 LNG-powered boxships

MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, the world’s largest container shipping company, has awarded China’s Zhoushan Changhong International Shipbuilding a fresh contract to construct twelve 19,000 TEU LNG dual-fuel containerships.

The latest shipbuilding cooperation between MSC and Zhoushan Changhong follows previous contracts for ten 11,400 TEU and ten 10,300 TEU LNG-powered containerships.

What is more, the Chinese shipyard has officially entered the ultra-large dual-fuel containership construction with this new order from MSC.

According to the shipyard, the new vessels will be the latest generation of ultra-large boxships developed and designed by CIMC’s subsidiary CIMC Ocean Engineering Design and Research Institute (CIMC ORIC).

The ships adopt a double island layout, with a total length of 366 meters and a beam of 58.8 meters.

In addition to LNG propulsion, the newbuilds will be ammonia and methanol-ready with various energy-saving optimization equipment such as high-efficiency rudders, rudder balls, energy-saving ducts and windshields, as well as high-power shaft generators, shore power systems, and energy efficiency monitoring systems.

Further details on the ships’ delivery date and price were not disclosed.

The container shipping titan has been a strong advocate of LNG as a marine fuel and has joined SEA LNG coalition with the aim of collaborating with the organization on exploring the prospects of bio-LNG, particularly renewable synthetic LNG.