Wan Hai Lines has placed another major containership order in China, contracting eight newbuildings at Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding for up to $980 million.
The Taiwanese carrier ordered one 9,200-TEU vessel and seven ships of about 11,000 TEU each. The smaller vessel will be methanol dual-fuel ready. The seven larger ships will be prepared for both methanol and LNG propulsion.
The contract price for the 9,200-TEU ship ranges from $102 million to $112 million. Each 11,000-TEU vessel will cost between $118 million and $124 million.
Wan Hai’s latest orders add to a large existing containership backlog. Lloyd’s List reported that the carrier had 50 vessels on order, representing about 500,000 TEU.
Fuel flexibility is a key feature of the programme. Wan Hai is not committing its new vessels to a single alternative fuel. Instead, the ships will support methanol or LNG-related propulsion arrangements. This gives the carrier more flexibility as fuel availability, regulations and decarbonisation requirements develop.
