As the world’s major containership owners have recently shifted to liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel, Oceanic NetLink Shipping (ONE) is still choosing to bet on methanol fuel and has announced the ordering of an additional 10 methanol dual-fuel powered large containerships.
According to Trade Winds, ONE has returned to Yangzijiang Shipbuilding and Jiangnan Shipbuilding to place orders for a total of 10 additional 13,000 TEU methanol dual-fuel powered containerships, with both yards to build five units each.
Together with the order for 12 containerships of the same type, which was officially confirmed on January 17, 2024, ONE has ordered a total of 22 13,000 TEU methanol dual-fuel powered containerships from Yangzijiang Shipbuilding and Jiangnan Shipbuilding, with the two shipyards constructing 11 units each.
Among them, Jiangnan Shipbuilding is expected to deliver the first vessel to ONE by the end of 2026 and another 10 containerships from 2027 to 2028; Yangzijiang Shipbuilding is expected to deliver 11 new containerships from 2027 to 2028.
According to information announced by ONE earlier this year, the first batch of 12 13,000 TEU methanol dual-fuel powered containerships will be built by Yangzijiang Shipbuilding and Jiangnan Shipbuilding for six units each, with deliveries scheduled to start from 2027. These are ONE’s first orders for methanol bunker tankers and the first time this Japanese shipowner has placed a shipbuilding order with a Chinese shipyard, having previously preferred South Korean and Japanese shipyards.
Although the shipowners and shipyards did not announce the specific price, but according to industry sources, the cost of a containership is about $170 million, if this estimate, including additional orders, including the total value of the 22 new containerships of more than $ 3.74 billion (about RMB 27.142 billion).
Designed for flexibility and agility, ONE said the new shipbuildings will feature state-of-the-art technologies such as optimized hull structures, waste heat recovery systems and bow windshields. Some of the new vessels will also be equipped with air lubrication systems and shaft generators to explore potential ways to improve fuel efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. When delivered, the new shipbuildings will play a key role in achieving the sustainable development goals of ONE’s Green Strategy.
It is understood that the 11 13,000 TEU methanol dual-fuel powered containerships constructed by Jiangnan Shipbuilding will adopt its own developed of “Kun” (KUN-13M) ship type, which adopts green methanol as the main fuel and possesses completely independent intellectual property rights. All the performance indexes have reached the domestic advanced level, with the advantages of high efficiency, energy saving and green environment protection, which can meet the strategy and plan of the shipowner to reduce the carbon emission of the fleet in the subsequent operation cycle.
The eleven 13,000 TEU methanol dual-fuel powered containerships to be built by Yangzijiang Shipbuilding will be jointly designed by Yangzijiang Shipbuilding and renowned design institutes, leveraging Yangzijiang Shipbuilding’s strong technological capabilities to meet the evolving needs of its customers and to ensure alignment with the maritime decarbonization agenda.
According to the latest data from Alphaliner, ONE’s total capacity is 1.916 million TEU, ranking 6th among global liner companies, and it operates a total of 243 vessels, of which 92 are owned and 151 are chartered. In addition, ONE also holds orders for 37 new vessels of 468,000 TEU.
