Wan Hai Lines seals $816M deal for methanol-ready boxship quartet

Taiwanese shipping player Wan Hai Lines has commissioned two shipbuilding companies based in South Korea to construct a total of four dual-fuel methanol-ready container vessels.

According to the firm’s April 24, 2025 stock exchange filing, the contract entails two methanol-ready units that HD Hyundai Samho, part of HD Hyundai Group, is set to build, as well as a pair of identical vessels due to be constructed by Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI).

The 16,000 TEU newbuildings were reportedly signed under a deal estimated to be worth up to $816 million. Specifically, Wan Hai Lines splashed between $186.5 million and $204 million per unit for the boxships at HD Hyundai, and between $187.6 million to $204 million for the ones at SHI.

The delivery dates for the containerships are as of yet undisclosed.

As informed, Wan Hai Lines currently operates over one hundred and twenty vessels, which include the relatively recent additions to the roster: the 13,100 TEU Wan Hai A16—the ninth newbuild of its series constructed by Samsung Heavy Industries—and the 13,100 TEU Wan Hai A17, which joined its owner’s fleet in September 2024, just two months after the previous unit.

In October last year, the Taipei-headquartered maritime transportation player, one of the biggest container lines in the world, commissioned the same two yards to build eight methanol-ready containerships of the same capacity as the newest order, each estimated at a similar value. The company did not divulge when these ships would be handed over.

The month before that, Wan Hai Lines committed to purchasing up to 20 methanol-ready container vessels, which are under construction at CSBC Corporation in Taiwan as well as at HD Hyundai Samho.

Within the next few years, the Taiwanese shipping company is expected to gear up to ring the welcome bell to the dual-fuel quartet that was booked in November 2024 at HD Hyundai.