Sources told LNG Prime on Monday that the order includes eight methanol dual-fuel ready vessels with a capacity of 16,000 teu.
They said Wan Hai is working with South Korea’s Samsung Heavy and Hyundai Samho to amend the order to LNG fuel.
These would be the first LNG dual-fuel containerships in Wan Hai’s fleet, the sources said.
In October 2024, Wan Hai Lines announced orders for eight methanol dual-fuel ready vessels with a capacity of 16,000 teu.
Under the orders, Samsung Heavy will build four containerships and Hyundai Samho will build four containerships.
Wan Hai said at the time the Samsung Heavy vessels were each priced from $187 million to $204 million, or $750.5 million to $816 million for the entire order.
On the other hand, the Hyundai Samho vessels were each priced from $186.4 million to $204 million, or $745.9 million to $816 million for the entire order.
VesselsValue data shows that these vessels are scheduled for delivery in 2027.
LNG fuel shift
Taiwan’s shipping firm Evergreen Marine recently also ordered ultra-large LNG-powered containerships at two yards in South Korea and China.
This is the first order for LNG dual-fuel vessels for Evergreen, which has mainly focused on ordering methanol-powered ships during the last few years.
This move followed a major shift by Maersk, who confirmed last year that it had ordered a fleet of LNG dual-fuel containerships with a capacity of 300,000 teu from yards in China and South Korea.
Maersk also finalized contracts with several tonnage providers to charter a range of LNG dual-fuel vessels.
This move represented a significant turn for the shipping company which has been one of the biggest supporters of methanol-powered ships.
Orders for LNG-powered vessels jumped 103 percent to 264 ships last year, driven by the container and car carrier newbuild boom over the last three years, according to classification society DNV.
In 2024, 69 percent of all containership orders were for ships capable of being powered by alternative fuels, driven by cargo owners responding to consumer demands for more sustainable practices and liner companies preparing to replace older tonnage, DNV said.
