On 20 February, Pacific International Lines (PIL) has received delivery of its third 14,000 TEU LNG dual-fuel container vessel.
The vessel was named “Kota Ebony” at a ceremony held at Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai. The name Kota Ebony represents strength and elegance, reflecting the vessel’s robust capabilities and modern, optimised hull design.
Kota Ebony is the third of four 14,000 TEU vessels designed and constructed by Jiangnan Shipyard, one of China’s leading shipbuilders. They are the largest in PIL’s fleet and the first to run on Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG).
“We are thrilled to welcome Kota Ebony, our third 14K vessel to our fleet. These efficient dual-fuel vessels enable us to further bolster our services and support the growing trade between China and Latin America. The first two sister ships, Kota Eagle and Kota Emerald, were delivered in October and December last year, and are already operating successfully on our Latin America service network. We are now proud to add Kota Ebony to reinforce the East Coast Latin America service,” said Mr Lars Kastrup.
“Our fourth 14K TEU vessel is expected in the coming months, and will be joined by another 14 dual-fuel, biomethane-capable vessels which will be delivered progressively over 2025 and the subsequent years. This significant investment represents PIL’s ongoing efforts at fleet renewal as well as our unwavering commitment to making shipping more environmentally sustainable as we chart our way to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.”
The 14K TEU series of vessels feature an optimised hull form and high reefer capacities ideal for the Latin American trade. In addition, they also incorporate various features such as high-performance anti-fouling coating to reduce fuel consumption, exhaust gas recirculation systems to cut-down on main engine methane emissions and improved data connectivity to improve safety as well as operations efficiency.
PIL has ordered a total of 18 newbuild vessels since 2022. In addition to the four 14,000 TEU vessels, PIL has another four 8,000 TEU, five 13,000 TEU, and five 9,000 TEU vessels on order.