Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has signed a contract with Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI), a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), for the construction of 2 liquefied natural gas (LNG) dual-fuel ropax ferry newbuildings, with options for two vessels of the same type, according to Trade Winds. Delivery of the new vessels is expected to begin in 2027.
Sources said that the two sides in as early as February this year has signed a contract, but has never been publicly disclosed. Although the cost of the order has not been disclosed, but according to industry estimates, the cost of a single vessel more than $160 million. Based on this calculation, plus option orders, the total value of the four new ropax ferry buildings exceeds $640 million (approximately RMB 4.66 billion).
The dual-fuel ropax ferry is of LNG dual-fuel design with a 3,500-meter-long lane and can accommodate up to 2,500 passengers. Upon delivery the new vessels will be operated by MSC subsidiary Grandi Navi Veloci, one of the largest ferry operators in Italy.
Since the beginning of this year, GSI has won a number of large orders. According to incomplete statistics, these include five 8,400TEU LNG dual-fuel powered container ships from German shipowner Peter Döhle, with a total value of more than $600 million, which are expected to be delivered in 2027; five 24,000TEU LNG dual-fuel powered ultra-large container ships from Taiwan container shipping company Evergreen Marine, with a total value of $1.325 billion to $1.475 billion; and a 70,000 DWT semi-submersible vessel from COSCO Shipping Specialized Carriers.
For MSC, in addition to GSI’s ro-ro vessels, the company has placed orders in the container ship market this year. Zhoushan Changhong International announced earlier this year that it had been awarded 4+2+2 22,000 TEU LNG dual-fuel container ships by MSC, with three vessels expected to be delivered in 2027 and the remainder in 2028.
MSC’s container ship order is said to be the largest and most advanced container ships that Zhoushan Changhong International has constructed so far, as well as the largest ship type project under construction in Zhejiang Province. This is another cooperation between the two parties following the 10 11,500 TEU, 10 10,300 TEU and 12 19,000 TEU LNG dual-fuel large container ship projects.