PIL orders five LNG dual-fuel 9,000 TEU boxships

Continuing with fleet expansion, Singapore-based shipping company Pacific International Lines (PIL) has ordered five liquefied natural gas (LNG) dual fuel 9,000 TEU containerships in China.

As per a recently signed letter of intent (LOI), the mid-sized ships will be built by Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding, with deliveries expected between 2027 and 2028.

The boxships will cost $140 million each, according to information provided by Intermodal.

The company has been pressing on with its fleet renewal program aimed at ordering eco-friendly vessel types that would help PIL reach the decarbonization goal of net zero emissions by 2050.

In August 2024, PIL also placed an order with Hudong-Zhonghua for five 13,000 TEU containerships to be powered by LNG dual-fuel engines. The vessels are planned to be delivered progressively from the end of 2026.

PIL currently has two more 14,000 TEU and four 8,200 TEU LNG dual-fuel units under construction in China.

Last week, PIL and China’s bunkering supplier Shanghai SIPG Energy Service (SSES) completed the inaugural bunkering of PIL’s first LNG-fueled container vessel, Kota Eagle. During the operation, the recently built 14,000 TEU Kota Eagle received about 8,000 cbm of LNG from the Hai Gang Wei Lai bunkering vessel.

Kota Eagle, which is on its maiden voyage, was built at Jiangnan Shanghai Changxing HI shipyard in China and named in mid-October together with its sister vessel, the 14,000 TEU dual-fuel Kota Emerald.