LNG Prime reported in August that Maersk was looking to place a new order for LNG-powered container vessels.
Sources and brokers said that the shipping firm has selected China’s New Times Shipbuilding to build eight LNG dual-fuel vessels, each with a capacity of approximately 18,000 TEU.
There is also an option for four additional vessels.
New Times is expected to deliver these vessels from 2028 to 2029.
It remains unclear whether the shipbuilding deal has been signed yet.
Brokers, including Intermodal, put the price tag for each vessel at $193 million, or $1.54 billion for eight vessels.
In August last year, Maersk announced it was in the process of signing newbuilding orders and charter deals for up to 60 dual-fuel containerships, including LNG dual-fuel vessels.
This move represented a significant turn for the shipping company, which had been one of the biggest supporters of methanol-powered ships.
In December, Maersk ordered LNG dual-fuel vessels at China’s Yangzijiang Shipbuilding and South Korea’s Hanwha Ocean.
The shipping firm also placed an order for six LNG dual-fuel vessels, each with a caapcity of approximately 15,000 teu, at New Times.
