Yang Ming orders six methanol-ready container ships

Taiwanese shipping company Yang Ming Marine Transport Corporation (Yang Ming) has placed an order for six 8,000 TEU methanol-ready container ships with three shipyards.

IMAGE: Getty Images

The company has signed contracts with three Japanese shipbuilders — Nihon Shipyard, Imabari Shipbuilding and Shoei Kisen Kaisha — to purchase three methanol-ready container ships and place newbuilding orders for an additional three vessels.

The vessels are scheduled for delivery starting in 2028, Yang Ming said. These vessels “will be the first batch in Yang Ming’s fleet to adopt methanol dual-fuel-ready specifications,” the shipping company added.

The new vessels are expected to “gradually replace” Yang Ming’s 5,500 TEU-class container ships that run on conventional marine fuel, the company said.

Methanol-ready means that the vessels will not be capable of running on methanol upon delivery, but they will have the option to be retrofitted for methanol propulsion in the future. This implies they will likely run on fossil-based marine fuels upon delivery.

By Aparupa Mazumder

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